China Launches Guowang Group 28: Long March 8A Puts Nine Internet Satellites Into Orbit From Hainan

China launched nine internet satellites into low Earth orbit on Sunday aboard a Long March 8A rocket from the Hainan commercial launch site at Wenchang, the 28th batch of the state-owned Guowang constellation. AsiaToday and China in Space both reported nine satellites on the flight — Group 28 is the batch number, not the satellite count — and China in Space put the Guowang total in orbit at 231 spacecraft after the launch.

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WENCHANG — China successfully launched nine satellites into low Earth orbit on Sunday, October 25, aboard a Long March 8A rocket that lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site in Wenchang at 10:03 a.m. Beijing time, AsiaToday reported. The spacecraft form the 28th batch of the Guowang broadband constellation operated by China Satellite Network Group.

Source: AsiaToday

China in Space, in its own report of the same flight, likewise said the Long March 8A lifted off from Commercial Launch Pad 1 at Wenchang at 10:03 a.m. China time (02:03 UTC) and deployed nine Guowang satellites, manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology. It said that after the launch, 231 Guowang spacecraft are in orbit.

Source: China in Space

9satellites on Sunday's Long March 8A flight, AsiaToday and China in Space reported

28thGuowang batch — Group 28 is the batch number, not the satellite count

231Guowang spacecraft in orbit after the launch, China in Space reported

12thflight of the Long March 8A, AsiaToday reported

The payload, designated SatNet LEO Group 28, is the latest addition to Guowang, meaning "national network", operated by the state-owned China Satellite Network Group, AsiaToday reported. The company plans to offer internet services worldwide, with services focused on China in the near term, and the constellation could eventually grow to as many as 13,000 satellites, it reported.

Source: AsiaToday

The launch was the 12th flight of the Long March 8A, a medium-lift rocket developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, AsiaToday reported. The rocket made its maiden flight in February 2025, when it carried the second Guowang batch, also of nine satellites, from Wenchang, it reported.

Source: AsiaToday

China in Space reported that Guowang satellites launched on the Long March 8A and Long March 12 use the constellation's small satellite platform, weighing about 695 kilograms each, and use electric propulsion to manoeuvre in orbit. It reported the operator expects deployment to accelerate sharply in the coming years toward the planned constellation of up to 13,000 satellites in the 2030s.

Source: China in Space

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