Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

SatNet LEO Group 20

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Communications

Low Earth Orbit Commercial LC-1 Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group. The constellation will eventually consists of 13000 satellites.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • March 10, 2026, 4:59 a.m.

Added launch per NOTAMs; Payload identities uncertain.


Cosmic_Penguin • March 12, 2026, 7:55 p.m.

Liftoff.


Cosmic_Penguin • March 12, 2026, 10:31 p.m.

Launch success.


Long March 8A

Family:
Configuration: A

The Long March 8A is an orbital launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology based on the Long March 8. It has an increased capability of up to 7 tonnes to a 700 km altitude sun-synchronous orbit. It implements a larger 3.35 meters diameter liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen 2nd stage, coupled with 2 upgraded version of the YF-75D engines used on the Long March 5 (known as the YF-75H) with increased thrust to 10 tonnes each through measures such as increased turbopump speeds. The Long March 8A can also use a larger 5.2 meters diameter payload fairing.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    50.5 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    371.0 T
  • Thrust
    4800.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 8A
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    A
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Long March 8A
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    ―
  • Low Earth Orbit
    9800.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    3500.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    7000.0 kg

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 601 Failures: 16 Pending: 7

Agency Type:

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI
NASASpaceflight

Launch Preview: Falcon 9 to dominate another busy week of missions

Eight launches are scheduled worldwide this week, with Falcon 9 again dominating the launch schedule.… The post Launch Preview: Falcon 9 to dominate another busy week of missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

SpaceNews

China ends month-long launch hiatus with separate Guowang and Shiyan-30 satellite missions

China resumed orbital launch activity Thursday with a pair of missions lifting off from Hainan and Xichang spaceports, launching satellite internet and technology test satellites. The post China ends month-long launch hiatus with separate…

NASASpaceflight

China debuts new launchers, tests orbital servicing and outlines future deep-space missions

CAS Space and Space Pioneer have both debuted new Chinese commercial launchers within days of… The post China debuts new launchers, tests orbital servicing and outlines future deep-space missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Commercial LC-1


Starship
Go
2 days, 8 hours ago
Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14)
Orbital Launch Pad 2 - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

14th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. 3rd flight of Starship V3 and the first Starship flight to deploy satellites (a group of S…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 6 hours ago
USSF-385
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bu…


Electron
Success
4 days, 19 hours ago
Owlright, Owlright, Owlright (StriX Launch 13)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Long March 6A
Success
6 days, 11 hours ago
Yaogan 40 Group 04
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing".


Long March 8A
Success
1 week ago
SatNet LEO Group 26
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Kinetica 1
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
9 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 9 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 15-27
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2D
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
PIESAT-2 13-16
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the Chinese Earth observation satellite company PIESAT.


Electron
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Owl By The Dozen (StriX Launch 12)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
Glonass-K1 No. 20 (?)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Satellite serial number and Cosmos designation not confirmed. Glonass-K are the third generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite n…