The progressive crowding of Earth's orbital shells, primarily low-Earth orbit, by satellites and debris, raising collision risk globally and threatening a shared orbital commons.
China's two state-linked low-Earth-orbit broadband programs, Guowang and Qianfan, plan more than 28,000 satellites combined to compete with Starlink for global spectrum and connectivity market share.
full dossier ›Four operators plan more than 70,000 satellites in the same narrow orbital band, making LEO broadband the most contested frontier in spectrum politics and connectivity geopolitics.
Qianfan jumps back ahead at 182 to Guowang's ~168–190; two constellations planning 28,000+ spacecraft
Rising avoidance manoeuvres, a $25.8–42.3B decade cost, and a 95% disposal-compliance bar to avert cascade