China's Long March 8A rocket launches new satellite group

China launches a Long March 8A carrier rocket in the southern island province of Hainan, sending a new group of internet satellites into space, on Jan 13, 2026. (Photo/Xinhua）

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

The rocket lifted off at 11:25 pm (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 18th group of low-orbit internet satellites, into preset orbit.