Internet satellites launched into orbit

China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit on Friday morning, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the leading State-owned space contractor.

The satellites are the 17th group of low-orbit hardware in China's State-owned internet network. They were lifted by a Long March 8A carrier rocket at 7:26 am from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang city, and soon reached their orbital positions, CASC said in a news release.

The satellites were designed and made by the China Academy of Space Technology, a CASC subsidiary in Beijing. They have become the newest parts of the Chinese State-run mega internet satellite network, which has more than 130 satellites operating in low orbits after the latest deployment.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, also a CASC subsidiary, the Long March 8A is 50.5 meters tall, and has a liftoff weight of 371 metric tons and a liftoff thrust of about 480 tons.

The model is mainly tasked with deploying satellites to sun-synchronous orbits, and is capable of transporting as much as 7 metric tons of payloads to a typical sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marked the 90th space mission in China and the 620th flight of the Long March rocket fleet. It was the sixth time for the Long March 8A model to deploy low-orbit internet satellites.