Chinese startup raises funds for space situational awareness constellation, joining commercial SSA rush
SINGAPORE — A Beijing-based startup has secured around $14 million to build a satellite constellation for tracking orbital objects, adding to China’s growing SSA sector.  Xingchen Daohe, also known as […] The post Chinese startup raises funds for space situational awar
Home / Chinese startup raises funds for space situational awareness constellation, joining commercial SSA rush
An artist's representation of objects in low Earth and geostationary orbits. Credit: ESA
SINGAPORE — A Beijing-based startup has secured around $14 million to build a satellite constellation for tracking orbital objects, adding to China’s growing SSA sector.
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. The funds will be used for the development, deployment and team-building for the Guanlan constellation
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.
The round drew a mix of industry and financial backers, including the Beihang Tianhui incubator—attached to Beihang University, a major aerospace research institution—alongside venture investors Zhenghan Capital, QDGF Ventures, Yarong Capital, Yunhui Capital and Xinhai Capital, plus state-linked investment vehicle Changsha Chengfa. Xingchen Daohe also signed to move into Beijing’s “Satellite Town” July 24, as part of Beijing’s official “South Rockets, North Satellites” industrial policy.
The development is the latest in a line of Chinese commercial SSA moves and a signal that China’s commercial space situational awareness (SSA) sector is attracting capital across multiple competing players, while also recently reaching orbit.
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 planned 156-satellite SSA constellation, with test satellites due in the first half of 2026 and operational satellites in 2027.
Kaiyun United, or Creatunion, also tied to Zhongke Xingtu, has developed the Spacemapper platform which hosts China’s 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 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.
Meanwhile, Aotian Technology, a Beijing firm, launched Gande-1 July 24 aboard a Kinetica-1 solid rocket, described as China’s first dedicated commercial debris-monitoring satellite and the opening satellite of a planned 120-satellite constellation.
The sector’s growth can be tied to a stated Chinese government goal. A research article published in October 2025 by the U.S. Air Force’s 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’s 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.
SSA was also noted in China’s 15th Five-year plan, a national economic blueprint covering the period 2026-2030. A section on commercial space calls for breakthroughs related to space situation awareness, along with other areas including space-based computing, rocket and satellite design, reusable launchers and formation flying.
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Andrew Jones
Andrew Jones covers China's space industry for GBTIMES and SpaceNews. He is based in Helsinki, Finland. More by Andrew Jones
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