The mission placed a new set of spacecraft in the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series into their preset orbits, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country's principal state-owned space contractor.
It was the ninth orbital deployment of satellites in the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series since the program began with its first launch in July 2023, marking a steady pace of constellation build-out over less than three years.
One of the satellites carried on this mission was developed by GalaxySpace, a Beijing-based private satellite company. That spacecraft will be used to conduct technical verification of broadband direct-to-cell satellite communications, space-to-ground network integration, and other key technologies related to next-generation connectivity from orbit.
China is working toward a mega-constellation of approximately 13,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, intended to provide internet coverage across the globe. The Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series is serving as the testbed program for the technologies and systems that will underpin that larger network.
The Long March 2D rocket is manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and uses liquid propellants. It generates a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons and is capable of placing a 1.2-metric-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers. The model has been a workhorse for Chinese small-satellite missions in recent years due to its reliability and operational flexibility.
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