China launches new batch of 18 internet satellites for Qianfan Constellation

China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into space.

The rocket blasted off at 21:32 (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 7th batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation, into preset orbit.

Qianfan is China's first giant low-orbit commercial satellite constellation to enter the formal networking phase. It will build a satellite internet system that provides high-speed, real-time, secure, and reliable integrated solutions and services connecting space, air, ground and sea, independently constructed and operated by China.

The project launched its first batch of satellites in August 2024 and aims to have a full operational network of more than 15,000 low-Earth orbit satellites in place by 2030.

The Long March-8 rocket that carried out Tuesday's mission is a member of the Long March 8 family. Together with the Long March-8A carrier rocket, the two models feature the payload capacity of 5 tonnes and 7 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit, respectively, which underscores China's upgraded launch capabilities for deploying satellites into medium and low Earth orbits.

This year, the Long March 8 rockets will enter a high-density launch schedule, continuing to support the development of China's low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation and the high-quality development of the country's commercial space sector.

In addition, the meteorological system at the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site took on the weather support role independently for the first time in this launch mission. The successful validation of its performance has further enhanced the site's overall service and support capabilities.