SINGAPORE \u2014 A Beijing-based startup has secured around $14 million to build a satellite constellation for tracking orbital objects, adding to China\u2019s growing SSA sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xingchen Daohe, also known as Stars Harmony, was reported to have secured nearly 100 million yuan ($14.8 million) July 22 by Chinese media reports<\/a>. The funds will be used for the development, deployment and team-building for the Guanlan constellation\u00a0<\/p>\n The company was founded in Beijing in May 2024. The company describes the Guanlan constellation as providing continuous space-based monitoring and tracking of orbital objects to support collision avoidance, orbit optimization and space traffic management for both military and civil satellite operators.<\/p>\n The round drew a mix of industry and financial backers, including the Beihang Tianhui incubator\u2014attached to Beihang University, a major aerospace research institution\u2014alongside venture investors Zhenghan Capital, QDGF Ventures, Yarong Capital, Yunhui Capital and Xinhai Capital, plus state-linked investment vehicle Changsha Chengfa. Xingchen Daohe also signed<\/a> to move into Beijing\u2019s \u201cSatellite Town\u201d July 24, as part of Beijing\u2019s official \u201cSouth Rockets, North Satellites\u201d industrial policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n The development is the latest in a line of Chinese commercial SSA moves and a signal that China\u2019s commercial space situational awareness (SSA) sector is attracting capital across multiple competing players, while also recently reaching orbit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chinese commercial SSA activity has intensified through 2025 and 2026 across companies at different stages of development. Geovis Insighter Technology Co. Ltd., or Xingtu Cekong, a subsidiary of Chinese Academy of Sciences-linked Zhongke Xingtu, went public on the Beijing Stock Exchange in 2025 and in November announced<\/a> a planned 156-satellite SSA constellation, with test satellites due in the first half of 2026 and operational satellites in 2027.<\/p>\n Kaiyun United, or Creatunion, also tied to Zhongke Xingtu, has developed the Spacemapper platform which hosts China\u2019s space object catalog. It also plans a 108-satellite space monitoring constellation and a ground-based observation network. Qingbo Kongtian, a Tsinghua University spinout founded in August 2025, raised<\/a> tens of millions of yuan (10 million yuan roughly equal to $1.48 million) in April 2026 for debris cataloguing and collision-warning software and plans to launch an SSA experimental satellite in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Aotian Technology, a Beijing firm, launched Gande-1<\/a> July 24 aboard a Kinetica-1 solid rocket, described as China\u2019s first dedicated commercial debris-monitoring satellite and the opening satellite of a planned 120-satellite constellation.<\/p>\n The sector\u2019s growth can be tied to a stated Chinese government goal. A research article published<\/a> in October 2025 by the U.S. Air Force\u2019s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) notes a stated Chinese government goal of localizing the two-line element (TLE) data format used to track satellites by 2028. The move would aim to reduce dependence on U.S. tracking data and shift China from a data user to a rulemaker. Access to indigenous data and tools will make China better able to participate in international fora and influence global norms, with the People\u2019s Liberation Army described as having a growing concern with international norms and international law. The move would fit into a wider Chinese push to improve its capacity to influence the setting of international standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n