The new Great Game: Constellations, IoT, and Space Supremacy

The silence of space is being interrupted by thousands of small satellites orbiting barely 500 kilometers above our heads. They are not simple television repeaters or conventional observation satellites: they are nodes in a global network designed to connect trillions of sensors on Earth. This transition of the satellite market to the Internet of Things (IoT) does not respond only to business logic, but to a much deeper geopolitical strategy; the dispute for supremacy in the space domain.

For decades, space was the preserve of superpowers launching expensive and exclusive satellites. Today, constellations such as Starlink, Guowang or Kuiper promise to connect everything from tractors in Argentina to meteorological buoys in the Arctic. Behind this apparent technological democratization lies a race for control of global digital infrastructure. A connected tractor in Brazil, a buoy in the Bering Sea or a drone in the Sahara generate data that flows through networks owned by companies – and governments – that decide who can access it, when and under what conditions.

China has understood this dynamic with strategic clarity. Its Guowang constellation, with 13,000 satellites planned, is not just a commercial project; it is part of the National Space Development Plan 2021-2035. The goal is to build its own satellite IoT network that reduces technological dependence on the West and projects Chinese influence to regions where it currently has no physical presence. Meanwhile, European companies such as Sateliot in Spain or OHB in Germany receive direct funding from the European Space Agency to develop constellations that guarantee the continent's "technological sovereignty" in the face of Starlink's growing influence.

Control of the radio spectrum has become an invisible but crucial battleground. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorized Starlink and Amazon Kuiper satellites to use frequency bands previously reserved for terrestrial services. This regulatory decision is not technical; It's a geopolitical move that allows U.S. companies to set global precedents before other countries can counter them. Meanwhile, China has integrated its NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) into its 5G/6G roadmap, paving the way for Chinese standards to dominate the next generation of global connectivity.

The projection of soft power through satellite IoT already has concrete examples. During Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Starlink provided military and civilian connectivity in regions where ground infrastructure had been destroyed. This access, controlled directly from Washington, transformed the constellation into a geopolitical asset as valuable as any defense treaty. Similarly, China has offered satellite connectivity to African countries as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, creating technological dependencies that translate into political and economic influence.

The economic value of the LEO satellite IoT market will grow from $849 million in 2023 to more than $4.7 billion in 2032, according to industry analysts. But these numbers hide a deeper reality: space is becoming a new industrial hub. Countries that lead in satellite launches, sensor chip manufacturing, cloud data processing, and space cybersecurity will have a decisive advantage in the global economy. Japan, for example, has created a $4 billion sovereign wealth fund specifically for satellite IoT startups, while India has cut launch costs to attract constellations from other countries to its space bases.

The risks of this space race are not only geopolitical. Orbital congestion, the generation of space debris and the possibility of conflicts due to satellite interference are problems that no country can solve alone. However, the urgency to establish dominant positions is outpacing international cooperation. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) warns that if the current trend continues, the LEO space could collapse under the density of artificial objects before 2040, leaving humanity without the infrastructure needed for the next digital revolution.

The satellite market's shift to IoT is not simply a technological evolution; it is the manifestation that space is no longer the final frontier and has become the new geopolitical chessboard. Whoever controls the satellite networks of the future will not only dominate the data flows of trillions of devices: they will determine who has a say in global decisions, who accesses knowledge, and who is excluded in the next digital age. The battle for space supremacy is no longer fought with rockets and military satellites, but with tiny devices that connect tractors, buoys, and sensors to Earth, as they orbit silently in space.