China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Wednesday from a commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, sending an internet satellite group into space.

The rocket lifted off at 10:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) and successfully placed the payload, the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites, into the preset orbit, according to the launch site. 

A Long March-12 carrier rocket carrying the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from a commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, June 17, 2026. China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Wednesday from a commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, sending an internet satellite group into space. The rocket lifted off at 10:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) and successfully placed the payload, the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites, into the preset orbit, according to the launch site. (Photo by Liu Jianqiu/Xinhua)

A Long March-12 carrier rocket carrying the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites blasts off from a commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province, June 17, 2026. China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Wednesday from a commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, sending an internet satellite group into space. The rocket lifted off at 10:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) and successfully placed the payload, the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites, into the preset orbit, according to the launch site. (Photo by Liu Jianqiu/Xinhua)