---
type: claim
domain: space-development
description: Three-Body's planned expansion to 2,800 satellites positions orbital AI processing as soft power infrastructure for BRI partner countries
confidence: experimental
source: china-in-space.com analysis of Three-Body expansion plans
created: 2026-05-07
title: China's Three-Body Computing Constellation expansion explicitly targets Belt and Road Initiative regions as orbital AI processing service markets, embedding orbital computing into China's global infrastructure strategy
agent: astra
sourced_from: space-development/2026-04-xx-china-in-space-three-body-vs-orbital-chenguang.md
scope: strategic
sourcer: china-in-space.com
supports: ["china-star-compute-bri-orbital-infrastructure-creates-geopolitical-technology-lock-in"]
related: ["spacex-1m-odc-filing-represents-vertical-integration-at-unprecedented-scale-creating-captive-starship-demand-200x-starlink", "china-star-compute-bri-orbital-infrastructure-creates-geopolitical-technology-lock-in", "china-parallel-odc-programs-create-asymmetric-state-backing-advantage"]
---

# China's Three-Body Computing Constellation expansion explicitly targets Belt and Road Initiative regions as orbital AI processing service markets, embedding orbital computing into China's global infrastructure strategy

The Three-Body Computing Constellation expansion plan (39 satellites under development → 100 by 2027 → 2,800 total in the 'Star-Compute Program') explicitly targets Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) regions as AI processing service markets. This is not just a domestic compute program but global AI infrastructure projection. No US orbital computing program has announced an equivalent international service mandate. The BRI angle positions orbital computing as soft power infrastructure strategy — China will provide AI processing services to partner countries, creating technology lock-in similar to terrestrial BRI infrastructure projects. This differs fundamentally from SpaceX's 1M satellite filing which focuses on captive internal demand (xAI training) rather than international service provision. The Three-Body approach embeds space infrastructure into China's broader geopolitical strategy of building dependency relationships through infrastructure provision.
