China launched a group of 18 communications satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province on Tuesday afternoon.
With a combined weight of 4.8 metric tons, the satellites, the first batch in the Qianfan network to be deployed in orbit, were carried by a Long March 6A rocket that blasted off at 2:42 pm and soon arrived in their preset orbit.
Developed by the Shanghai-based company SpaceSail, the Qianfan network is intended for providing high-speed, secure and reliable broadband internet services to users around the world, and is designed to consist of as many as more than 10,000 satellites, according to the company.
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The Long March 6A rocket model was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology as a medium-lift launch vehicle.
It consists of a 50-meter, liquid-propelled core booster and four solid-fuel side boosters. The core booster has a diameter of 3.35 meters and is propelled by two 120-ton-thrust engines burning liquid oxygen and kerosene.
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The rocket has a liftoff weight of 530 metric tons and is tasked with transporting satellites to multiple types of orbit, including sun-synchronous, low-Earth and intermediate circular orbit.
