China deploys 18 more satellites for Spacesail Constellation

The rocket lifted off at 7:59 p.m. and successfully placed the satellites into their planned orbit. These newly launched satellites increase the total number of satellites in the constellation to 144.

The Spacesail Constellation is a commercial Chinese low-Earth-orbit satellite network designed to improve global telecommunications services. China plans to eventually expand the network to around 15,000 satellites.

Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the modified Long March-6 rocket is designed to handle different launch configurations, including single, dual, and stacked satellite deployments. It can carry payloads of at least 4.5 tonnes into a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 700 kilometers above Earth.

This mission was also a milestone for China’s space program, marking the 642nd launch in the Long March rocket series.

Earlier, it was reported China boosts 2026 science funding, focusing on basic research.