China sends new batch of low-orbit internet satellites into space

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

The satellites are the 22nd group of low-orbit hardware in China's State-owned internet network. They were lifted by a Long March 12 carrier rocket at 10:44 am from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang, Hainan province, and soon arrived in their designated orbital positions, CASC said in a news release.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the satellites are the latest components of the country's massive space-based internet system, 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, the Long March 12 rocket stands 62.6 meters tall and has a diameter of 3.8 meters. It has a liftoff weight of more than 430 metric tons and is capable of transporting spacecraft with a combined weight of more than 12 tons to low-Earth orbit, or 6 tons of satellites to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marked the 44th space mission in China in 2025 and the 652nd flight of the Long March rocket family.