China has launched the 28th batch of internet satellites for its planned "Guowang" constellation in low Earth orbit. According to a statement from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the satellites lifted off aboard a Long March-8A rocket from the commercial spacecraft launch site on Hainan Island.
The launch marked the 674th mission flown by the Long March family of rockets.
The first group of "Hulianwang" (internet) satellites forming part of Guowang, whose name means "national network" in Chinese, was launched on 16 December 2024. It was followed by 16 batches in 2025 and 10 so far this year.
The project first came to light in 2020, when China filed an application with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to build a large satellite constellation. Aimed at creating a global satellite internet network to compete with US-based SpaceX's Starlink, it is run by the China Satellite Network Group (China SatNet), set up in 2021 under the State Council, the country's cabinet. With the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) as prime contractor, the plan calls for some 13,000 satellites to be placed in low Earth orbit.
Under ITU rules, constellation operators must meet certain deployment milestones within set deadlines to secure their frequency rights. For Guowang, this means 1,300 satellites, or 10 percent of the network, must be in orbit by the end of 2029, and 6,500 satellites, or half of the network, by 2035.
