China Long March-12 Rocket Launches New Internet Satellite Group in Hainan
China sent a new batch of nine Internet satellites into orbit from Launch Pad 2 at the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan. The satellites, the 24th group of the low-Earth orbit Internet satellites, lifted off aboard a Long March-12 carrier rocket at 12:10 Beijing Time (04:10 am Universal Coordinated Time) on August 16, 2026, and entered their preset orbits successfully.
Being brought into orbit by the launch vehicle was the twenty-fourth group of GuoWang satellites, made up of nine spacecraft made by the China Academy of Space Technology.
With today’s launch, 195 GuoWang spacecraft are in orbit, functioning in and heading up to their operational orbits. This year, it is planned that 310 satellites will be deployed, followed by 900 in 2027, and 3,600 every year beginning in 2028 to sustain and grow the constellation. In the 2030s, up to 13,000 satellites could be in operational orbit.
GuoWang satellites launched atop of the Long March 12 and the Long March 8A use the mega-constellations’ small satellite platform, weighing about 695 kilograms each.
The GuoWang constellation is operated by China Satellite Network Group, a state-owned enterprise backed by the Chinese government. China Satellite Network Group plans to provide worldwide Internet services; for now, China-focused services are the immediate priority.
On the market side of the launch, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Commercial Launch Vehicle Group Co. Ltd. procured the Long March 12 on behalf of China Satellite Network Group as a suitable launch solution for their spacecraft. In July, the Shanghai Academy acquired a majority stake in the Commercial Launch Vehicle Group to better commercialize its launch vehicles.
This mission was the 7th launch of a Long March 12 vehicle, the 9th launch of the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology-supported Long March 12 series, and the 663rd launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 57th launch from China in 2026.
Duration: 55 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 16, 2026
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