China's Lijian-2 rocket launches 18 satellites in first large-scale internet constellation mission

(ECNS) -- China launched a Lijian-2 Y2 rocket carrying 18 satellites for the Spacesail Constellation from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China on Tuesday.

The rocket lifted off at 8:15 a.m. Beijing time and placed the satellites into their planned orbit as part of China's commercial low-orbit satellite network. It was the Lijian-2's first large-scale satellite internet constellation deployment mission.

The Lijian-2 is a liquid-fueled rocket developed by CAS Space. It is China's first launch vehicle featuring a "universal booster core" configuration, with a payload capacity of 8 metric tons to a 500-kilometer (311-mile) sun-synchronous orbit and 12 metric tons to a 200-kilometer (124-mile) low Earth orbit.

CAS Space said the mission was the second flight of the Lijian-2 rocket and the 18th launch of the Lijian series.

Yang Haoliang, commander of the Lijian-2 rocket at CAS Space, said China's low-Earth orbit satellite internet has entered a period of intensive deployment. With heavy satellite networking missions and strong launch demand, there remains a sizable gap in the scale of in-orbit deployment.

High-density, highly reliable and low-cost launch capacity is critical to supporting satellite internet development, Yang said, adding that the mission was a key in-orbit test of the rocket's suitability for launching satellite networks.

(By Zhang Dongfang)