Chinese rocket launches 8 satellites into orbit

JIUQUAN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday launched a Lijian-1 Y14 carrier rocket with eight satellites onboard.

The rocket blasted off at 11:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) from a commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China and successfully sent its payload into the planned orbit.

All the satellites onboard are high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites.

This was the 14th flight mission of the rocket series, which was developed by CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company founded by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

According to the rocket maker, the Lijian-1 series has sent a total of 105 satellites into space, with a combined payload weight of over 15 tonnes.

The company added that this rocket series has achieved three consecutive launches in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating its high-density launch schedule for the year.