A Chinese Lijian-2 Y2 (Kinetica 2 Y2) launch vehicle placed a batch of 18 Qianfan internet satellites into orbit on Tuesday to expand the Spacesail Constellation, CCTV reported.

The rocket, developed by CAS Space, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, lifted off from a launch pad in the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Zone near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 08:15 Beijing time. All satellites were successfully deployed into their target polar orbits.

This is the 17th batch of satellites to join the Spacesail Constellation, which is designed to provide broadband internet services. There are now 276 such satellites in orbit. The constellation, operated by state-owned Shanghai Spacesail Technologies, is expected to eventually comprise 12,000 satellites.

Deployment of the constellation began in August 2024. The satellites operate in low Earth orbit in the Ku, Q and V bands and are designed for data transmission and communications.

The Lijian-1 light solid-fuel rocket weighs 135 metric tons. It stands 30 meters tall and measures 2.65 meters in diameter. It can deliver a payload of up to 1.5 metric tons to low Earth orbit.