China launches group of internet satellites into orbit

China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit on Monday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the leading State-owned space contractor.

The satellites are the 13th group of low-orbit hardware in China's State-owned internet network. They were lifted by a Long March 12 carrier rocket at 10:41 am from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang, Hainan province, and soon arrived in their orbital positions, CASC said in a news release.

This year, 12 batches of satellites have been sent into orbit for the in-orbit networking of the country's massive space-based internet system, which is often likened to the Chinese version of SpaceX's Starlink.

Upon completion, the Chinese mega-constellation will consist of about 13,000 satellites operating in low-Earth orbit to create an internet system with worldwide coverage.

Designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary, the Long March 12 is the 22nd member of the Long March family, the backbone of China's space sector, and the 17th in the operating fleet.

It is the first Chinese rocket to have a diameter of 3.8 meters — most Chinese rockets have a diameter of 3.35 meters, a standard width set in the 1960s, considering constraining factors in rail transport.

Standing 62.6 meters tall, equivalent to the height of 22 stories of a standard residential building, the two-stage model is the second tallest among all Chinese rockets, only exceeded by the 62.8-meter Long March 5.

The launch marked the 72nd space mission in China and the 607th flight of the Long March rocket fleet.