Long March rocket sends broadband satellites into orbit

China launched a group of 18 communications satellites from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in Shanxi province on Tuesday evening, deploying the eighth batch of space-based assets of the Spacesail Constellation in orbit.

Built by Shanghai-based Innovation Academy for Microsatellites for satellite operator Spacesail, the satellites were carried by a Long March 6A rocket that blasted off at 7:59 pm local time and soon arrived in their preset orbital positions.

After the launch, 144 satellites have been lifted into space for the Spacesail Constellation.

Previously known as the G60 network, the Spacesail Constellation is intended to provide high-speed, secure and reliable broadband internet services to users around the world, and is designed to consist of as many as more than 10,000 satellites traveling in low-altitude orbits before the end of 2030, according to Spacesail.

The Long March 6A rocket, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is a medium-lift launch vehicle featuring a 50-meter liquid-propelled core booster and four solid-fuel side boosters. With a liftoff weight of 530 metric tons, the rocket is tasked with transporting satellites to multiple orbits, including sun-synchronous, low-Earth and intermediate circular orbits.

The latest launch marked China's 30th space mission this year and the 642nd flight of the Long March rocket fleet.