China launches satellites to provide communication services

China launched 10 satellites early on Friday morning from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The State-owned space conglomerate said in a release that a Long March 6 carrier rocket blasted off at 2:30 am and soon placed the satellites, the third group in the Geely satellite network, into their preset orbit.

Developed by Geespace, a private satellite maker in Zhejiang and subsidiary of Geely Technology, the new satellites will work with 20 previously deployed Geely satellites to provide communications service to foreign users, according to Geespace.

The private operator said it plans to complete the first-phase construction of the Geely satellite network before the end of 2025, when the space-based system will have 72 satellites to provide communications for users around the world.

The 29.3-meter Long March 6 rocket model, developed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary, is capable of placing multiple satellites into various types of orbits.

Friday's mission marked the 12th launch of the Long March 6 model and China's 40th space launch this year. It was also the 534th flight of the Long March rocket family, the nation's main launch vehicle fleet.