China Launches LEO Internet Satellites to Challenge Starlink with Smart Dragon-3 and Lijian-1 Rockets

China launched a Smart Dragon-3 carrier rocket from a sea-based platform off Yangjiang in Guangdong Province on Saturday, sending a satellite internet technology test payload into its preset orbit, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The launch marks another step in China’s efforts to develop a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation to rival networks like Starlink. The Smart Dragon-3, also known as Jielong 3, is a solid-fueled orbital launch vehicle developed by China Rocket, a subsidiary of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. It stands 31 meters tall with a diameter of 2.65 meters and has a liftoff mass of 145 metric tons. This mission follows a previous launch on March 23, when China placed 10 satellites into orbit using the same rocket model from a launch service ship off the coast of Haiyang in Shandong province. That deployment formed the second group of space assets in the CentiSpace network, designed for high-performance occultation detection, ionospheric data acquisition, and inter-satellite laser networking communication. The Smart Dragon-3 has conducted 11 launches to date, all successful, with its maiden flight occurring on December 9, 2022. Initially capable of delivering 1,560 kilograms to a 500-kilometer altitude sun-synchronous orbit, its payload capacity has since increased to 1,600 kilograms, with further improvements planned to eventually reach two metric tons. All launches of the Smart Dragon-3 have taken place at sea, utilizing converted barges or launch service ships as floating platforms. The rocket uses the same motors as the Zhongke-1 (ZK-1, Lijian-1) vehicle and features a 3.35-meter fairing diameter. The recent launch from Guangdong underscores China’s growing investment in commercial space capabilities and its ambition to establish independent satellite internet infrastructure. As global demand for low-latency, broadband connectivity from space rises, such developments contribute to an increasingly competitive landscape in orbital communications.