HELSINKI — China launched a fourth group of satellites for its Guowang low Earth orbit megaconstellation Thursday, but released few details about the payload or objectives.
A Long March 6A rocket lifted off at 4:45 p.m. Eastern (2045 UTC) June 5 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China. The exhaust from liftoff illuminated nearby hills and vegetation surrounding the spaceport around half an hour before local sunrise.
Distant amateur footage of the launch captured an apparent “jellyfish” effect, with the rocket plume expanding in the thin upper atmosphere and lit by the sun, which was still below the horizon to the onlookers.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the success of the launch more than an hour after liftoff. It noted that the “satellite Internet low-orbit group 04 satellites” had entered into a predetermined orbit, but did not provide information on the number of satellites, nor images, details about the satellites’ capabilities. U.S. Space Force space domain awareness had not cataloged objects associated with the launch at time of reporting.
The secretive nature of the satellites has led to speculation that they could include dual-use or national security payloads, akin in concept to the classified Starshield program.
CASC also did not name the manufacturer of the spacecraft. Previously, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a major CASC institute, provided the satellites. CAST stated in December it had developed large and small satellite platforms for Guowang, without disclosing functional differences.
The China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. (“China SatNet”), established in April 2021, is responsible for Guowang. The constellation is based on China’s filing with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in September 2020 for a total of 12,992 satellites. According to the filings, two sets of satellites—GW-A59 and GW-A2—are outlined. These will operate at altitudes below 500 km and between 600–1145 km respectively, using a mix of orbital planes.
According to an August 2024 issue of the China Aerospace journal, the Guowang constellation is expected to adopt new-generation dynamic beam control and optical inter-satellite links, enabling high flexibility and customization. The satellites will serve both government and civilian users, providing broadband connectivity and tailored data services.
Previous launches of Guowang satellites used the Long March 5B and Long March 8A rockets from Wenchang, with the more powerful and voluminous 5B likely to launch the larger CAST satellite platforms. The Long March 6A rocket has been used to launch satellites for China’s quasi-commercial Qianfan/Thousand Sails constellation.
Despite a record of successful launches, the rocket has suffered reported issues with its upper stage fragmenting. The upper stage from the launch which carried the first 18 Qianfan satellites broke up into a cloud suspected to number more than 700 pieces of orbital debris.
The new Guowang mission was China’s 33rd orbital launch attempt of 2025. It follows the May 29 launch of Shijian-26 and the May 28 launch of the Tianwen-2 near Earth asteroid sample return mission. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) stated June 6 that the spacecraft was three million kilometers from Earth and performing well.
