Wenchang

At 21:32 China Standard Time on 23 September 2026, a Long March 8A lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site carrying the 26th group of low-orbit satellite internet spacecraft. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) reported that the satellites reached their planned orbit and the launch mission succeeded. The flight links Hainan's commercial launch infrastructure with the continuing build-out of a low-orbit communications constellation. CASC identifies its First Academy as the rocket's lead developer and its Fifth Academy as the satellite group's lead developer. A successful launch is a conclusion about this flight, not a claim that the wider constellation is complete. On 24 September, MIIT's Radio Regulation Bureau said domestic frequency coordination for the satellites had been completed before launch, with batches of space-radio station licences and frequency-use permits issued. This describes regulatory preparation for the same flight, not a second launch or a new launch window. The event date is 23 September, the same date shown on the primary-source article. Its photograph is not reused here because republication rights have not been established.