China launches Long March 12 rocket from commercial spaceport, deploying 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites
10:44 Beijing time, Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites, Long March 12 carrier rocket with "three-horizontal" launch mode — China continues to expand its orbital constellation, ensuring global internet access.
As reported by CCTV+, China launched a Long March 12 carrier rocket on Wednesday from a commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, sending an internet satellite group into space. The rocket lifted off at 10:44 am Beijing time and successfully placed the payload — the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites — into the preset orbit.
The Long March 12 rocket was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. It is a medium-lift launch vehicle with a diameter of 3.8 meters, capable of delivering at least 12 tons of payload to low Earth orbit and more than 6 tons to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of around 700 kilometers. The rocket employs a "three-horizontal" test and launch mode: horizontal assembly, horizontal testing and horizontal transport. This significantly reduces pre-launch preparation time and increases launch frequency. The new modification features several technical improvements, including a second-stage engine using high-energy kerosene, a 5.2-meter composite satellite fairing, and optimized pre-launch procedures.
This launch marked the 652nd flight of the Long March rocket family. It was carried out from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site — a new commercial spaceport established to support China's rapidly growing commercial space sector.
When a rocket weighing hundreds of tons lifts off, it carries more than just satellites. It carries the hope of a world where the internet is accessible to everyone — in the mountains, in the ocean, in the most remote villages. The 22nd group of low-orbit satellites is another step toward a global network that does not depend on ground infrastructure. And when the Long March 12 with its "three-horizontal" mode launches from a commercial spaceport, we see not just a technological breakthrough. We see a new era — an era where space becomes closer and connectivity becomes more accessible. China continues to build bridges in the sky to erase barriers on the ground.
