China Landspace ZhuQue-2E Commercial Rocket Qianfan Constellation Launch
China on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, completed its first large-scale launch of networking satellites for the Qianfan (Spacesail) mega constellation using a commercial rocket as the launch vehicle.
The Zhuque-2E Y7 carrier rocket, developed by Chinese commercial launch company LandSpace, blasted off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China at 14:26 Beijing Time, sending ten networking satellites for a mega-constellation into their preset polar orbits. The satellites were produced by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, bring Qianfan's total count deployed to 248.
The Qianfan mega-constellation is operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co. Ltd. that aims to provide space-based Internet connectivity services in China and abroad in places including Brazil, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, and via airlines, around the fourth quarter of this year.
Compared to typical single-satellite launches, the difficulty of large-scale satellite constellation deployment lies not only in the increased number of satellites.
The simultaneous launch of multiple satellites requires addressing a series of challenges, including multi-satellite coordination, satellite-launcher coordination, batch deployment, orbital control, and the passivation and deorbiting of the rocket's end stage, placing higher demands on coordination throughout the entire mission.
"For this mission, we have conducted system-level preparations in areas such as satellite interfaces, flight procedures, multi-satellite deployment sequencing, ground testing and launch procedures, and have carried out extensive work of collaboration with the client. We aim to standardize, formalize and visualize such constellation deployment missions," said Ma Haijing, general manager of LandSpace's marketing department.
China's low-Earth orbit satellite Internet sector is entering a phase of large-scale network deployment, and the continued construction of large satellite constellations is placing higher demands on the reliability, launch frequency, and the sustained supply of launch capacity of carrier rockets.
"The Zhuque-2 series has completed nine flights. Today's mission successfully deployed 10 networking satellites at an altitude of 900 kilometers with high precision, demonstrating that the Zhuque-2E's payload capacity, propulsion system, stage separation technology and orbital insertion precision control have all reached industry-leading levels," said Ma after Tuesday's launch.
While advancing routine commercial launches with the Zhuque-2E, LandSpace is also continuing its efforts to advance reuse of the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket. The two rocket models are being developed in tandem to meet distinct payload capacities and mission requirements, further enhancing the company's capability for sustained and stable access to space.
Costing under 10 million Yuan (1.47 million United States Dollars) apiece, each Qianfan satellite weighs 300 kilograms and has a ‘flat pack’ design with a single solar array to fit as many satellites as possible inside the rocket fairing in two parallel stacks. For maneuvering in orbit, each satellite has an electric hall-effect thruster burning krypton to generate 20 millinewtons of thrust with a specific impulse of 1,385 seconds.
By deploying ten Qianfan satellites, LandSpace has become the first of three enterprises contracted in August 2025 to fulfill its demonstration launch, beating CAS Space by about a month and far ahead of Space Pioneer. In the future, the company plans to deploy further satellite groups to assist with the constellation's growth towards having thousands in orbit.
Today’s mission was the 6th flight of Zhuque-2E, the 8th flight of LandSpace’s Zhuque-2 series, and LandSpace’s 11th orbital launch attempt. This was also the 63rd launch from China in 2026.
Date: Sept. 15, 2026
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