China sent several experimental satellites into orbit on Friday afternoon, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation’s leading space contractor.
The satellites, in the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series, were transported into their preset orbit by a Long March 2D carrier rocket that blasted off at 2:35 pm from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China’s Sichuan province.
The mission was the ninth orbital deployment of satellites in the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series since the first launch took place in July 2023.
One of the satellites aboard the mission was developed and built by GalaxySpace, a Beijing-headquartered private satellite company, and will be used to conduct technical tests for broadband direct-to-cell satellite communication, space-ground network integration and other key technologies.
China plans to construct a mega-constellation with around 13,000 satellites operating in low-Earth orbit to create an internet system with worldwide coverage.
The Long March 2D model, made by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is propelled by liquid propellants and has a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons. It is capable of sending a 1.2-ton spacecraft to a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometers.
