China Long March-8 Rocket Launches New Satellites for Spacesail Constellation
China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on May 17, 2026, in Hainan, sending a new satellite group into space. The rocket lifted off at 22:42 (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. The satellite group, the ninth batch that will constitute the Spacesail (Qianfan) Constellation, entered the preset orbit successfully.
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 this 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.
Duration: 24 seconds
Release Date: May 18, 2026
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