China's Long March-8A rocket launches new internet satellite group

A Long March-8A carrier rocket carrying the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 6, 2025. The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. on Saturday. It successfully placed the payloads into preset orbit. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

WENCHANG, Hainan, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- China launched a Long March-8A carrier rocket on Saturday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending a group of internet satellites into space.

The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. It successfully placed the payloads, the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites, into preset orbit.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the Long March-8A rocket is 50.5 meters long with a takeoff weight of 371 tonnes. It is capable of carrying up to 7 tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 km.

The rocket completed its maiden flight in February this year and has since entered a high-density launch mode.

This mission marks the first time the Long March-8 series rocket has switched its primary propellant from conventional petroleum-based rocket kerosene to coal-based rocket kerosene.

The new fuel is environmentally friendly, easy to store and transport, and more cost-effective. Its performance remains stable and reliable as petroleum-based rocket kerosene, which can establish a "green power" foundation for subsequent high-frequency launch missions.

Saturday's mission is also the fifth flight of the Long March-8A rocket and the 612th launch of the Long March series of rockets.

A Long March-8A carrier rocket carrying the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 6, 2025. The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. on Saturday. It successfully placed the payloads into preset orbit. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A Long March-8A carrier rocket carrying the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 6, 2025. The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. on Saturday. It successfully placed the payloads into preset orbit. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A Long March-8A carrier rocket carrying the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 6, 2025. The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. on Saturday. It successfully placed the payloads into preset orbit. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A Long March-8A carrier rocket carrying the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 6, 2025. The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. on Saturday. It successfully placed the payloads into preset orbit. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A Long March-8A carrier rocket carrying the 14th group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 6, 2025. The rocket lifted off at 3:53 p.m. on Saturday. It successfully placed the payloads into preset orbit. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)