China's Long March-8 rocket launches new internet satellites

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 on April 7, 2026. China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into space.The rocket blasted off at 9:32 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 7th batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation, into preset orbit. (Photo by Liu Jianqiu/Xinhua)

WENCHANG, Hainan, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into space.

The rocket blasted off at 9:32 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 7th batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation, into preset orbit. 

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 on April 7, 2026.

China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into space.

The rocket blasted off at 9:32 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 7th batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation, into preset orbit. (Photo by Liu Jianqiu/Xinhua)

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 on April 7, 2026.

China launched a Long March-8 carrier rocket on Tuesday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into space.

The rocket blasted off at 9:32 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 7th batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation, into preset orbit. (Photo by Liu Jianqiu/Xinhua)