Commercial pad deploys 18 satellites

China launched a Long March 8 carrier rocket early Wednesday morning at the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang, a coastal city in Hainan province, sending 18 internet satellites into space.

According to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's leading space conglomerate, the rocket blasted off at 12:38 am from the commercial spaceport's No 1 launchpad, marking the first launch activity at the pad, which is specifically tasked with servicing rockets in the Long March 8 series.

After a short flight, the rocket deployed 18 plate-shaped Spacesail satellites into their preset orbit, said the State-owned company, which is the contractor for the launch mission.

In late November, the space complex conducted its debut launch operation, facilitating the first flight of the Long March 12 rocket model from its No 2 launchpad.

As the nation's first spaceport dedicated to facilitating commercial operations, the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center is a joint venture of the Hainan provincial government and three State-owned space conglomerates. It is the fifth ground-based launch complex in China and the first run by a local government.

The No 1 launchpad was completed in December 2023, while the No 2 pad was finished in June 2024.

Including Wednesday's launch, a total of 90 satellites have been launched for the Spacesail Constellation, previously known as the G60 network. The system is intended to provide high-speed, secure and reliable broadband internet services to users around the world, and is designed to accommodate as many as 10,000 or more satellites traveling in low-altitude orbits before the end of 2030, according to Spacesail, the network's operator in Shanghai.

The first group of satellites in the network was launched in August 2024; the second group was deployed in October; the third group was hauled into space in December; and the fourth was lifted in January this year.

Each of the four groups consisted of 18 identical satellites, and all of the first four groups were carried by the Long March 6A rocket model, a product of the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province.

The Long March 8, designed and built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, has two core stages and two side boosters. It has six engines propelled by liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene. The rocket is 50.3 meters tall and 3.35 meters wide.

With a liftoff weight of 356 metric tons and a thrust of nearly 480 tons, the Long March 8 is capable of sending payloads of up to 7.6 tons into a low-Earth orbit.

Xiao Yun, project manager for the Long March 8, said on Wednesday that the model is scheduled for several launches this year to deploy internet satellites into space. "Having a dedicated launchpad will promise shorter time for prelaunch preparations and give our operations a higher efficiency," he said.