On CNSA –China National Space Administration …. ChangZheng Long March 12 Carrier Rocket …. At Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China At 4:24 AM on November 9th, China successfully launched 29 satellites for its satellite internet network into their predetermined orbits using a Long March-12 carrier rocket from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. The launch mission was a complete success…… The 29 satellites were developed by the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The Long March-12 carrier rocket, developed by the Eighth Academy of CASC, is a new generation of cryogenic liquid propellant carrier rocket and China’s first 4-meter-diameter, single-core stage carrier rocket. The Long March-12 rocket is approximately 62 meters long, with a payload capacity of no less than 6 tons to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. It can be equipped with 4.2-meter or 5.2-meter diameter fairings to support single-satellite and multi-satellite launches into different orbits.
This launch was the 676th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
I. Core Overview of the Launch Mission
- Time and location : 4:24 AM Beijing time on November 9, 2026, Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site.
- Launch vehicle : Long March 12 (Y11) launch vehicle, with a carrying capacity of no less than 6 tons to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit.
- Mission outcome : The satellite successfully entered its predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success.
II. Mission Milestone Significance
- Long March series record : This mission marks the 676th flight of the Long March series carrier rockets and the sixth launch of the Long March 12 this year.
- Annual mission concludes : This marks the official conclusion of the 2026 satellite internet low-orbit satellite launch mission of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
- On-orbit scale update : StarNet completed the launch of 29 network segments, bringing the total number of low-Earth orbit operational satellites in orbit to approximately
III. GW Constellation Networking Strategy
- Constellation planning : This batch of satellites belongs to the China Star Network GW constellation, which plans to launch approximately 13,000 satellites, deployed in two layers in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 200 to 2,000 kilometers.
- Network deployment rhythm : The recent launch frequency has been reduced from “monthly” to “weekly”, and the high-density routine launches demonstrate the maturity and mass production capabilities of the commercial aerospace industry chain.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration