Second vertical test position begins work for Long March 8 at Hainan

A Long March 8A began integrated testing at a second vertical test position at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site on June 7, 2026. CASC disclosed the milestone on June 12. The Long March 8 family can now process two rockets in parallel at two test positions. The reported annual processing capability is 30 launches. This is infrastructure capacity, not a claim that 30 flights have already occurred in 2026 or a guarantee of future flight totals. The extra position primarily supplies parallel ground-processing capacity for a higher mission rate. Long March 8 and 8A provide five- and seven-tonne-class sun-synchronous-orbit capability for constellation deployment. The First Academy built the new position, completed construction in October 2025 and subsequently performed integrated testing before operational work began in 2026. This entry distinguishes the June 7 operational milestone from the June 12 source release. Hainan Commercial and the national Wenchang site remain distinct entities. The infrastructure update does not establish an unpublished future launch date.