China launches new low Earth orbit internet satellites

A Long March 12 carrier rocket carrying the 19th group of low Earth orbit internet satellites lifts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 19, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]

China launched a new group of low Earth orbit satellites from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan province on Monday.

The 19th such group launched by China, the satellites lifted off at 3:48 p.m. Beijing time aboard a Long March 12 carrier rocket and later entered their designated orbit.

The satellites were independently developed by GalaxySpace, a Beijing-based commercial space company. They are the second group of such satellites built by the company, and will eventually form a satellite network to enhance communication services, along with other satellites already in orbit and ones to be launched in the future.

The satellites use phased array and millimeter-wave antennas that are both technologically advanced and cost-effective, said Hu Zhao, the company's chief satellite designer.

GalaxySpace has launched more than 40 satellites since its founding in April 2018. For this launch, the company said it digitized the full development cycle for the first time and has built out its own research, production and testing capabilities. 

The company's success reflects China's growing commercial aerospace sector, buoyed by supportive government policies. That momentum may accelerate with the release of the recommendations for formulating China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which identifies aerospace as a key area for boosting national competitiveness alongside manufacturing, product quality, transportation and cyberspace.