China deploys low-orbit internet satellites in 2nd space mission of 2026

China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit late on Tuesday night, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the leading State-owned space contractor.

The satellites, part of the 18th group of low-orbit hardware in China's State-owned internet network, were lifted by a Long March 8A carrier rocket that blasted off at 11:25 pm from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang city, and soon reached their orbital positions, CASC said in a news release.

The satellites were designed and made by the China Academy of Space Technology, a CASC subsidiary in Beijing, and have become the newest addition to the Chinese State-run mega internet satellite network, which has more than 140 satellites operating in low orbit following the latest deployment.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, also a CASC subsidiary, the Long March 8A rocket measures 50.5 meters tall, and has a core booster and two side boosters. The model has a liftoff weight of 371 metric tons and a liftoff thrust of about 480 tons.

Long March 8A is mainly tasked with deploying satellites to sun-synchronous orbits and is capable of transporting as much as 7 tons of payloads to a typical sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marked the second space mission in China in 2026 and the 625th flight of the Long March rocket fleet. It was the seventh time for the Long March 8A model to deploy low-orbit internet satellites.