HELSINKI — China launched a sixth batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites Wednesday, with a Long March 8A rocket launch from Hainan.
A Long March 8A rocket lifted off at 3:49 a.m. Eastern (0749 UTC, 15:49 Beijing time) July 30 from the launch pad 1 at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the success of the launch via its Chinese language social media channels.
Aboard were the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet satellites (06 group), corresponding to China’s Guowang national proliferated low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband project.
CASC did not immediately reveal the number of satellites aboard the launch, nor the manufacturer of the satellites. Both the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a major CASC institute, and the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites (SECM) are known to have produced satellites for Guowang. A previous Long March 8A launch in February carried nine Guowang satellites into orbit.
Wednesday’s launch follows three days after the launch of the Guowang group 05 satellites, using a Long March 6A rocket from Taiyuan in north China. For the Group 05 launch July 27, U.S. Space Force cataloged three satellites in roughly 1,000-kilometer-altitude orbits inclined by 86.5 degrees, along with the Long March 6A upper stage in a slightly lower orbit.
Guowang is widely seen as China’s answer to Starlink, offering a sovereign, dual-use satellite network to secure both civil and strategic communications infrastructure. The China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. (“China SatNet”), established in April 2021, is responsible for Guowang.
The constellation is based on China’s filing with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in September 2020 for a total of 12,992 satellites. According to the filings, two sets of satellites—GW-A59 and GW-A2—are outlined. These will operate at altitudes below 500 km and between 600–1145 km respectively, using a mix of orbital planes.
The near-term target for Guowang is to have 400 satellites in orbit by 2027, according to a recent presentation from Yuan Jungang, chief designer of China’s internet satellite program. Beyond this, as previously reported, China will need to launch 10% of the total number of planned satellites by September 2029, according to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) rules, to avoid spectrum penalties.
The launch was the second of the Long March 8A, and the first from launch complex one at Hainan commercial spaceport, which is dedicated to high-frequency launches of the rocket. It featured a first use of supercooled liquid oxygen, and used lithium-ion batteries to completely replace traditional zinc-silver batteries, according to state media Xinhua.
The Long March 8A is an upgraded variant of the standard Long March 8. It features the same kerosene-liquid oxygen first stage and side boosters as the original but includes a newly designed 3.35-meter-diameter hydrogen-oxygen second stage, allowing a wider, 5.2-meter-diameter payload fairing. It has a length of 50.5 meters, mass at liftoff of 371,000 kilograms and produces a liftoff thrust of around 480 tons.
CASC has expanded production of the YF-100 engines kerolox to allow a greater launch cadence of the Long March 8A and thus support the construction of the country’s constellation projects.
The Hainan commercial spaceport currently has two operational launch pads. Authorities are expanding the facility with the ongoing construction of launch pads 3 and 4, with the aim of facilitating an increase in China’s launch capabilities and cadence. Commercial launch companies are aiming to conduct test flights of new medium-lift, liquid propellant rockets from the spaceport this year.
Wednesday’s launch was China’s 40th orbital launch attempt of 2025, following Tuesday’s commercial Hyperbola-1 rocket launch. A Long March 11 rocket could launch as soon as July 31, potentially carrying a prototype cargo spacecraft, Di’er-5 from AZSpace, while Long March 5B and Long March 12 rockets are expected to launch from Wenchang and Hainan commercial spaceports in the near future.