China launches 29th group of low-orbit internet satellites
China successfully launched the 29th group of satellites for its low-Earth-orbit satellite internet constellation from the Hainan commercial space launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, on Monday, November 9, 2026.
A Long March-12 carrier rocket blasted off at 4:24 a.m. Beijing Time, sending the satellites into their preset orbit. The satellites entered their predetermined orbits smoothly, and the launch mission achieved complete success, according to China News Service.
The Long March-12, measuring about 62 meters in length, is a new-generation Chinese launch vehicle that uses cryogenic liquid propellants. It is the country's first single-core rocket with a diameter in the 4-meter class. The rocket has a payload capacity of at least 6 tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers and can support both single-satellite and multi-satellite launches into different orbits.
The launch marked the 676th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
