HELSINKI — A new group of 18 satellites entered orbit Tuesday for the Thousand Sails constellation with the first launch from a new commercial launch pad.
A Long March 8 rocket lifted off at 12:38 p.m. Eastern (1638 UTC) March 11 from launch pad 1 of the Hainan Commercial Launch Site near Wenchang, Hainan island. The kerosene-liquid oxygen propellant rocket illuminated clouds as it climbed into the night sky.
The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), which provided the rocket, announced launch success in a statement just under an hour after liftoff, confirming that 18 satellites for the Thousand Sails constellations had been inserted into their planned orbits.
The Thousand Sails constellation, also known as Qianfan or G60 Starlink, is a broadband satellite constellation spearheaded by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), also known as Spacesail. The project, which aims to deploy 14,000 satellites, seeks to compete in the global satellite internet market.
The launch was the first for Spacesail using the Long March 8. All four previous batch missions, totalling 72 satellites, used the Long March 6A rocket, launching from Taiyuan. These have been sent into near-polar orbits ranging in altitude from around 800 to 1,070 kilometers.
The satellites have caused concern among astronomers due to their brightness. Spacesail previously stated it aims to have 648 satellites in orbit by the end of 2025.
Spacesail has garnered substantial support, securing approximately $943 million in funding in early 2024, with heavy Shanghai municipal government backing. Genesat, a satellite manufacturing subsidiary of Spacesail, raised $137 million in funding in late December.
Spacesail has received unprecedented financial and regulatory backing from the Shanghai government, Joao Falcao Serra, Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), told SpaceNews, amounting to more than all publicly disclosed Chinese Satcom funding to date. The development is part of a wider competition among Chinese local governments to attract players and promote the commercial space sector.
“The swift action by the provincial government highlights the strategic importance of securing such industries for regional development and their need to compete internally to attract these new industries,” Serra said via email.
New commercial spaceport, Long March 8 plans
Hainan Commercial Launch Site is located near the coastal national Wenchang spaceport on the island province of Hainan in the South China Sea. It is the second launch from the facility, following the launch of the first Long March 12 rocket from launch pad 2 in November.
Tuesday’s Long March 8 launch was the inaugural use of launch pad 1, a facility designed specifically for the rocket. The success paves the way for frequent launches of the rocket from the new pad, according to CALT.
“This successful mission signifies that the Long March 8 rocket now has a dedicated new launch site, laying the foundation for a high-frequency launch schedule this year. It also means that the Long March 8 has officially entered the market, offering customers fast, efficient, and high-quality launch services,” said Xiao Yun, the Long March 8 series chief commander.
Last month the first Long March 8A launched a second group of satellites for Guowang, a state-backed low Earth orbit megaconstellation, lifting off from the nearby national Wenchang spaceport.
Authorities are expanding the commercial spaceport with the ongoing construction of launch pads 3 and 4, with the aim of facilitating an increase in China’s launch capabilities and cadence. Commercial launch companies are aiming to conduct test flights of new medium-lift, liquid propellant rockets from the spaceport this year.
China launch plans for 2025
Tuesday’s mission was China’s 11th orbital launch of the year and follows the launch of the classified TJS-15 satellite from Xichang spaceport March 9.
China’s launch targets for the year remain unknown. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s state-owned main space contractor, typically releases a “blue book” in January or February annually, detailing the previous year’s achievements and the main missions and targets for the year ahead. It has yet to do so publicly so far in 2025.
Last year CASC stated that China aimed to launch around 100 times, but ended with 68 orbital launch attempts, still a new national record. The country may once again aim for 100 or more launches in 2025, especially with new rockets and new launch facilities coming online.
