A Long March-8 carrier rocket carrying 18 internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, April 7, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday in south China's Hainan Province, sending 18 internet satellites into space.
The rocket blasted off at 9:32 p.m. from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the seventh batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation, into preset orbit.
The Long March-8 series rocket is set to enter a high-density launch mode this year, promoting the construction of China's low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation.
Tuesday's mission was the 636th launch of the Long March series of rockets.
(With input from Xinhua)