On September 24, off the coast of Rizhao, Shandong, a man stood watching as a rocket pierced the sky. Inside its payload fairing was the sixth batch of satellites for Geesatcom.
As the satellites entered orbit, the mission concluded successfully, marking the completion of Geesatcom’s Phase 1 constellation. From that moment, 20 million users worldwide, including five million high-frequency and 15 million low- to mid-frequency users, gained access to real-time satellite communications.
That man was Tony Wang, founder and CEO of Geespace, widely regarded in China’s commercial space sector as a pivotal figure.
Twelve years ago, driven by a fascination with space, he left a secure post in the state system to establish OK Space, China’s first private space company. Four years later, Jiading 1, a microsatellite weighing less than 100 kilograms and built largely with self-developed components, reached orbit. The achievement marked China’s first private aerospace breakthrough and reinforced Wang’s conviction to pursue entrepreneurship.
In April 2018, Wang became executive director at Shanghai’s Gesi Information Technology while also serving as general manager of its parent, Beyond Technology. His focus was on two goals: building satellite mass production capabilities from scratch and developing a supply chain for commercial manufacturing. Both efforts later fed into the G60 constellation.
Unlike the stereotypical image of space entrepreneurs, Wang is not a pure dreamer. His years at Huawei shaped his view that commercialization is essential. For him, it is not just about launching satellites but making them accessible to the public.
This could be a moment when China’s commercial space sector advances to the next stage.
Lessons from Iridium to Starlink, and Geesatcom’s rise
In the 1990s, Iridium Communications built a 66-satellite constellation to enable global mobile communications. The project spanned 12 years and cost more than USD 5 billion. But the technology was ahead of its time: an Iridium phone cost over USD 3,000 and calls ran USD 3–8 per minute. The mismatch with market realities drove the company into bankruptcy in 2000.
Nearly two decades later, Iridium’s pioneering spirit resurfaced in a different form.
In May 2019, SpaceX launched its first 60 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. That event marked the beginning of global competition in satellite internet.
Around the same time in China, Wang formally launched his vision for Geesatcom after securing backing from Geely chairman Li Shufu.
Compared with Starlink, Geespace is in many ways a “Chinese Iridium,” but with a stronger grasp of market demand. High costs have always been the sector’s greatest obstacle, a problem that doomed Iridium. For Geespace, solving cost and reliability was the first priority.
Here, Wang found alignment with Li. The Geely chairman provided not only vehicle applications but also deep support in manufacturing. Drawing on Geely’s automotive production model, Geespace built a satellite production facility in Taizhou, Zhejiang. It became the first in the world to integrate aerospace and automotive mass manufacturing.
Through innovation in satellite assembly, integration, and testing (AIT), the company achieved three breakthroughs: standardization, automation, and supply chain integration. As early as 2014, Wang’s team began developing satellite payloads and platform electronics in-house. This later enabled batch production of payloads for the Yaogan 30 constellation and radio determination satellite service (RDSS) payloads for BeiDou. By replacing expensive space-grade components with proven automotive-grade alternatives, Geespace turned what once seemed radical into industry practice.
On one front, short cycles, low costs, and batch manufacturing accelerated timelines. On the other hand, Geespace identified viable commercial use cases early.
The completion of Geesatcom’s Phase 1 constellation demonstrates that China’s commercial space players are not only capable of launching satellites but also of delivering services to the public.
This speed, shaped by a blend of aerospace, automotive, and communications expertise, is what sets Geespace apart. Wang often describes the company as not the most well-funded, but the most adept at turning aerospace technology into commercial value.
By September 2023, the Zeekr 001 FR rolled off production lines equipped with Geespace’s satellite communications system, marking the first automotive-grade mass application of space technology. Car owners could make satellite calls or receive alerts even without ground networks. The technology has since extended to Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Geely Galaxy models.
Beyond communications, Geespace enables autonomous driving through high-precision positioning. Using a low Earth orbit navigation augmentation system and a nationwide ground station network, its accuracy reaches ten centimeters, far surpassing standard GPS. Combined with satellite communications, this reportedly allows vehicles to operate in remote areas with limited terrestrial coverage.
In July, Geespace signed a deal with Caocao Chuxing to provide satellite communications and positioning for its autonomous fleet, signaling that in-car satellite services in China are entering mass adoption.
Together, these moves sketch out a blueprint for integrating space and terrestrial technologies under Wang’s leadership.
Building a business model for China’s space sector
For Wang, a viable business model is as important as the technology itself. “In running a company, the business model can matter more than high tech. It determines whether a company can survive.” The same holds true for space technology.
His conviction stems from experiences at Huawei and at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He joined Huawei in 2004, bypassing the internet boom to work in telecommunications during the shift from 2G to 3G. On the frontlines, he learned that technology must always connect to market demand.
At the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wang worked across the full spectrum from satellite systems to ground testing and AIT, gaining experience in the zero-to-one journey of major national projects. The exposure made him familiar with state-level needs while inspiring him to develop complementary low-Earth orbit systems in the private sector. “Geespace’s services form part of national strategic infrastructure,” said Wang, “designed for coordinated integration, compatibility, and complementarity.”
Such experience also prepared him for the complexities of managing constellation projects in the private sector. Space has always been about systems engineering, and Wang built a team capable of handling those demands. Among Geespace’s 18 founding members, 14 are engineers averaging 15 years of aerospace experience. Collectively, they have worked on 40 of China’s most important satellite models, including BeiDou Phases 2 and 3, Yaogan 30, and the Fengyun meteorological series. The CTO was responsible for third-generation BeiDou payloads and Jiading 1, while the chief engineer previously led microsatellite projects at Microsat.
Yet alongside this technical depth, Wang’s pragmatic mindset has kept Geespace grounded. In his view, China’s gap with international leaders lies not in technical capabilities but in mass production capacity. In 2021, Geespace built a private satellite factory in Taizhou designed to produce one satellite per day. Flexible lines enable simultaneous mass production of multiple models while cutting costs by an order of magnitude.
With these capabilities in place, Geespace shifted gears over the past two years, embarking on a series of launches:
- February 3, 2024: Using a Long March 2C rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Geespace deployed 11 satellites in a single launch.
- September 6, 2024: A Long March 6 rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center placed ten satellites into orbit.
- August 9, 2025: Off Rizhao’s coast, a Jielong 3 rocket launched 11 satellites. Just one month later, another Jielong 3 lifted 11 more satellites from the same coastal site.
Pursuing global space applications
In Wang’s view, a successful space enterprise must ultimately serve people. Geespace has envisioned Geesatcom as a global LEO constellation, first targeting connected cars and robotaxis, then expanding into fishing, construction, logistics, low-altitude aviation, and emergency communications. Unlike Starlink’s vast deployments, Geespace focuses on maximizing the utility of every satellite, offering China a distinct model for commercial aerospace.
Global expansion is also underway. Geespace has partnered with operators in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Latin America to extend its services beyond China.
Stories of such leapfrogging are not new to China. The rise of its electric vehicle sector, from fewer than ten Chinese-founded players in 2014 to global contenders a decade later, is a textbook example. Like EVs, commercial aerospace is both technology- and capital-intensive, with steep entry barriers. Geespace aims to follow a similar playbook: using industrialization to cut costs, adapting aerospace-grade technology for mass markets, and scaling demand to close the gap with global leaders.
Unexpected innovations have already emerged. In 2023, Geespace unveiled the world’s first integrated glass antenna for satellite communication, embedded into car sunroofs. The breakthrough surprised international competitors and marked China’s shift from catching up to leading in satellite communications.
But Wang insists Geespace is more than a trailblazer. He envisions it as aerospace’s version of Huawei. He describes the company’s strategy as “an open-source ecosystem,” likening it to early Linux or Android. “We’re now building a full-stack open platform,” he said. In other words, Geespace seeks not only to create constellations but also to build a technology platform that can empower industries far beyond aerospace.
With 64 satellites now in orbit, Geesatcom’s impact has already moved beyond personal ambition. Instead, Wang’s career reflects China’s growth from scratch to pursue opportunities in a space sector that is still in its early stages.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Xiao Xi for 36Kr.