China is close to launching its first batch of satellites for a mega constellation aimed at rivaling US company SpaceX's Starlink Internet network.

As reported by Xinhua, state-run Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) launched the first components on the network yesterday (August 6).

SSST's constellation has been named "Thousand Sails."

The project behind the Constellation, also known as the G60 Constellation, was set up last year as part of plans to establish a Chinese-based global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite Internet network competitor to Starlink.

Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has a broadband constellation of around 5,500 satellites, which is used by consumers, companies, and government agencies.

Xinhua reported that 18 communications satellites entered their designated orbits smoothly after lifting off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province in a Long March 6A carrier rocket.

SSST plans to launch 108 satellites this year, and 648 by the end of next year to provide a "global network coverage" by 2027.

By the end of the decade, the SSST said it is aiming to deploy 15,000 satellites.

LEO satellites typically operate at altitudes of 300km to 2,000km from the Earth's surface.

Reuters separately reported that Chinese researchers in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have studied the deployment of Starlink in the war in Ukraine and repeatedly warned about the risks it poses to China, if the nation becomes engaged in military conflict with the US.

SSST's Thousand Sails constellation is one of three "ten-thousand star constellations" that China intends to deploy in order to compete with SpaceX.

China has previously told the International Telecommunication Union that it plans to deploy 51,300 satellites, while SpaceX has set a target of 42,000 satellites by 2027.