Shanghai Launches Pearl Constellation Plan for Space Computing

Shanghai formally launched the Pearl Constellation Plan on September 13 at the Pujiang Innovation Forum’s Space Computing Industry Ecosystem Forum, according to Jiemian News. The plan is led by Oriental TianSuan and involves Shanghai Jiao Tong University and other research institutions and industry partners to build a space-based computing constellation and an integrated space-ground intelligent computing infrastructure. The plan aims to develop a gigawatt-scale space-based computing constellation and, by 2030, gradually build a globally covered, space-ground coordinated, self-controlled space intelligent computing infrastructure and service network. During the forum, Oriental TianSuan also signed cooperation agreements with 27 partners, including the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources, the Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering, Alibaba Cloud and iFlytek, covering computing chips, space energy, inter-satellite communications, satellite platforms, computing payloads and software services. The forum also highlighted Shanghai’s commercial space sector. The city issued its 2023-2025 action plan for commercial space development in October 2023, and in January launched the Shanghai Commercial Space Rocket Star City project in Minhang. Under that plan, the project aims to reach annual production capacity of 80 rockets and 200 satellites by 2027, rising to 150 rockets and 500 satellites by 2030, with the district targeting a space industry scale of more than 100 billion yuan by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Wang Jianyu said China’s commercial space industry has expanded rapidly over the past decade, with 92 rocket launches in 2025, including 50 commercial launches, versus 19 launches in 2015 and none commercial. Satellite launches totaled 377 in 2025, including 303 commercial launches, compared with 20 in 2015 and none commercial. He also said China submitted an application to the International Telecommunication Union for frequency and orbital resources covering 203,000 additional satellites across 14 constellations from December 25 to 31, 2025.