A group of satellites lifted off aboard a Long March-5B rocket coupled with the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage from southern China’s Wenchang spaceport at 6pm and later reached their designated low-Earth orbit, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The satellites have entered into their predetermined orbit and the mission has been declared a success.
GuoWang, meaning “national network”, first came to light in 2020 when China submitted filings with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for a constellation of nearly 13,000 satellites.
The project is managed by China Satellite Network Group Co Ltd, a state-owned enterprise established in 2021 under the State Council, China’s cabinet. The company is headquartered in Xiongan, Hebei province, and has registered capital of 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion).
