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., sending the satellites into their preset orbit.
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.