Long March 12 sends internet satellites into orbit

China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit aboard a Long March 12 carrier rocket on Monday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The satellites were developed and manufactured by CASC subsidiary China Academy of Space Technology, and form the 29th group of low-orbit satellites in China's State-owned internet network, the company said in a news release.

The rocket blasted off at 4:24 am from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang, Hainan province, and delivered the satellites into their designated orbits, CASC said.

Designed by another CASC subsidiary, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Long March 12 rocket stands 62.6 meters tall and has a diameter of 3.8 meters. It can carry at least 6 metric tons of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marked China's 82nd space mission in 2026 and the 676th flight of the Long March rocket series.