C114 News, Beijing time March 13, 2026, at 3:48 AM, our country successfully launched 20 low Earth orbit satellites for satellite internet using the Long March 8A carrier rocket at the Hainan commercial space launch site. The satellites successfully entered their designated orbits, and the launch mission was a complete success.
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Looking back at the launch history of the GW constellation:
On December 16, 2024, the &#34;one arrow ten stars&#34; completed the first batch of network launches, marking the first step in the construction of the constellation;
On February 11, 2025, the low Earth orbit 02 group of satellites successfully launched;
On April 29, the low Earth orbit 03 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On June 6, the low Earth orbit 04 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On July 27, the low Earth orbit 05 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On July 30, the low Earth orbit 06 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On August 4, the low Earth orbit 07 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On August 13, the low Earth orbit 08 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On August 17, the low Earth orbit 09 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On August 26, the low Earth orbit 10 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On September 27, the low Earth orbit 11 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On October 16, the low Earth orbit 12 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On November 10, the low Earth orbit 13 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On December 6, the low Earth orbit 14 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On December 9, the low Earth orbit 15 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On December 12, the low Earth orbit 16 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On December 26, the low Earth orbit 17 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On January 13, 2026, the low Earth orbit 18 group of satellites was successfully launched;
On January 19, the low Earth orbit 19 group of satellites was successfully launched.
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The GW constellation is our country's first giant satellite internet plan and also our first integrated air and space 6G internet plan. It includes two sub-constellations: GW-A59 and GW-A2, forming a global internet satellite constellation, which will introduce a direct satellite communication mode for mobile phones in the future. The GW constellation plans to launch a total of 12,992 satellites, of which the GW-A59 sub-constellation has 6,080 satellites distributed in ultra-low orbits below 500 km; the GW-A2 sub-constellation has 6,912 satellites distributed in near-Earth orbits at 1,145 km.
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On March 13, 2026, China successfully launched 20 low-orbit satellites, marking another milestone in the construction of the GW constellation. This launch used the Long March 8A carrier rocket, and the satellites successfully entered their designated orbits. The GW constellation is China's first large-scale satellite internet program, which will enable direct satellite communication with mobile phones in the future, with plans to launch 12,992 satellites to cover global internet access

China successfully launched 20 low-orbit satellites for satellite internet