China to launch internet satellites for global internet coverage

A screenshot from a China Central Television program shows the Hongyun internet satellite [Screenshot: news.cctv.com]

The Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. of China plans to launch internet provider Hongyun Project's first satellite within the year, reports China Central Television. 

The satellite is the first of 156 satellites that will orbit at 1,000 kilometers above the earth. 

Once built, Hongyun is expected to provide global broadband internet coverage. 

Users will be able to enjoy high-speed services that are comparable to Wi-Fi when they travel on bullet trains and airplanes, according to CASIC Second Academy president Zhang Zhongyang. 

The whole plan is to send 4 more satellites and network them as one in a constellation with the first by the end of 2020. The Hongyun network will be completed by 2025. 

Last month, SpaceX delivered two satellites into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket to test its plan to bring internet to every corner of the earth.