China's Long March-8 Rocket Adds 18 Internet Satellites after Hainan Night Launch

China's Long March-8 Rocket Adds 18 Internet Satellites after Hainan Night Launch

China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 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, also known as "Thousand Sails”, into their preset orbit. It was also a milestone mission for the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, marking the 14th launch from the site and the first time its own weather team handled the entire operation independently.

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. Qianfan is designed to support China's Belt and Road Initiative, providing secure digital links for Chinese businesses and infrastructure projects across the globe.

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. This 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. 

Video Credit: SMG
Duration: 42 seconds
Release Date: April 8, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #SpaceSailConstellation #QianfanConstellation #千帆星座 #China #中国 #CNSA #中国国家航天局 #Rockets #LongMarch8Rockets #长征八号运载火箭  #MediumLiftRockets #CASC #SpaceTechnology #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #Spaceports #Wenchang #Hainan #STEM #Education #HD #Video