CHINA BEGINS LAUNCHING A MEGACONSTELLATION, AND IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE STARLINK

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

There are two serious efforts underway in China to develop a rival to SpaceX's Starlink project. The first batch of 18 satellites for one of those projects launched into low-Earth orbit on Tuesday on a Long March 4A rocket. Besides providing civilians with internet, the network could be used for military applications and as a diplomatic tool. The full deployment of these networks will require a significant increase in China's launch capacity.