China conducts inaugural launch from Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site

A Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying a group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

This mission marks the inaugural launch from the site's No. 1 launch pad, which, following the inaugural launch from the No. 2 pad on Nov. 30, 2024, signifies the dual-pad readiness of China's first commercial spaceport for future missions.

A Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying a group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

A Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying a group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

A Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying a group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

A Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying a group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

A Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying a group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (China News Service/Luo Yunfei)