Sources: Elon Musk has invested roughly $1B in Skydance; in 2022, David Ellison's father, Larry Ellison, invested $1B in Musk's deal to take X private (Rohan Goswami/Semafor)

China has successfully extended its own satellite internet coverage to the polar regions, marking a significant milestone in its technological self-reliance. This breakthrough was achieved during trials conducted as part of China's 16th Arctic expedition, which concluded this month. The satellite constellation, known as GW, enabled scientists in the Arctic to establish video connections with the Qinling research station in Antarctica using domestically built satellites.

The trial demonstrated transmission latency of less than 1 second, allowing for near real-time communication between researchers on opposite ends of the planet. The GW network supports peak upload and download speeds of over 30 megabits per second, capable of handling multiple high-definition video links and scientific expedition data transmission.

The technology was also used for remote medical consultations, allowing doctors in Qingdao, China, to assess expedition members who fell ill via video links. China's ambitious plans include deploying nearly 13,000 satellites by 2035, with an interim target of around 1,300 by the end of 2029. While this puts China ahead of other countries in terms of satellite technology, it still lags behind Elon Musk's SpaceX, which operates around 11,000 satellites under its Starlink network.

The expedition, which focused on surveying Arctic sea ice and studying ecological and atmospheric environmental changes, utilized domestic equipment supported by the GW satellite constellation. This allowed researchers to economically build a large-scale survey network, contributing to a better understanding of climate change and sustainable Arctic development.

China's Ministry of Commerce and eight other government agencies recently issued a draft policy, calling for greater use of domestic technologies to improve industrial efficiency and drive economic growth.