China’s Commercial Rockets Launch 18 Qianfan Satellites in 16 Hours

Two Chinese commercial launch providers completed back-to-back Qianfan constellation missions in September 2026. LandSpace launched 10 satellites from Jiuquan on September 15, followed roughly 15 hours 34 minutes later by Orienspace’s sea launch of eight more Qianfan satellites and a technology demonstrator. Together, the flights broadened the launch options available to Shanghai SpaceSail’s low-Earth-orbit broadband project. 32126

The two launches at a glance

Mission	Liftoff	Launch location	Rocket	Payload	Reported result
LandSpace Zhuque-2E Y7	September 15, 14:26 Beijing time	Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone, near Jiuquan	Zhuque-2E	10 Qianfan Polar Orbit Group 19 satellites	Satellites delivered to designated/preset orbits 311
Orienspace Gravity-1 Y3	September 16, 06:00 Beijing time	Waters east of Shanghai	Gravity-1	8 Qianfan Polar Orbit Group 26 satellites plus 1 EUHT technology-test satellite	All nine satellites reported in planned or preset orbits 2126

The first mission was notable as the first large-scale satellite-internet constellation deployment by a Chinese private commercial rocket, according to Xinhua. 3 The second added a maritime dimension: reporting described it as the first sea-based mobile launch of a low-Earth-orbit broadband internet constellation, while also setting Chinese single-sea-launch records for net payload mass and orbital altitude. 1921

How the flights advanced Qianfan

The two missions added 18 Qianfan satellites across two polar-orbit groups. The Gravity-1 payload also included a separate EUHT communications-technology test satellite, so it should not be counted as part of the Qianfan deployment. 1126

That matters because Qianfan, operated by Shanghai SpaceSail Technologies, is being built as a broadband constellation in low Earth orbit. Until these flights, its deployment had relied on other launch arrangements; the September missions demonstrated that SpaceSail can use commercial providers from both a land pad and a sea-launch platform. 32534

A reported pre-launch tally put Qianfan at 256 satellites after an August 6 deployment. On that basis, adding 18 brings the reported figure to 274, leaving 50 satellites to reach the cited 324-satellite initial-network target. 3435

However, constellation counts require caution. One public tracker listed 238 active Qianfan satellites before these launches and noted that some spacecraft had not reached working orbit. The difference illustrates why “satellites launched,” “satellites in orbit,” and “active satellites” should not be treated as interchangeable measures. 36

Two very different commercial launch systems

Zhuque-2E: liquid oxygen and methane

LandSpace’s Zhuque-2E is a liquid-propellant vehicle using liquid oxygen and methane. Its September 15 mission launched from the company’s complex in the Dongfeng commercial-space zone and carried the 10-satellite Qianfan Group 19 batch toward polar orbit. 1016

The mission showed a methane-liquid launcher performing a multi-satellite deployment for a broadband constellation—a type of flight that depends on precise payload separation and orbit delivery, not simply reaching space.

Gravity-1: solid propulsion from the sea

Orienspace’s Gravity-1 is a solid-fuel rocket with a reported maximum payload capacity of 6.5 tonnes. Its Y3 mission was the vehicle’s fourth flight and launched from waters east of Shanghai. 2426

The sea launch placed eight Qianfan satellites and the EUHT test satellite into planned orbits. The mission’s reported net payload exceeded three tonnes, setting national records for a single Chinese maritime launch’s payload weight and orbital altitude. 2146

The contrast is strategically useful for a constellation operator: Zhuque-2E represents a liquid methane-based option from a fixed land site, while Gravity-1 provides a high-capacity solid-propellant option from an offshore platform. Both are now demonstrated contributors to Qianfan deployment. 32425

The real test is launch cadence—and service activation

The back-to-back successes reduce the immediate deployment gap, but the key challenge is sustaining enough launch opportunities to complete the network. Before these missions, reporting said Qianfan had gone nearly four weeks without a new deployment after its August 6 batch. 3435

The 18 satellites launched in this two-mission sequence are an important increment, not proof that a commercial broadband service is ready. Official mission reports confirm delivery to planned or preset orbits; they do not establish that the spacecraft have completed commissioning or are providing usable end-to-end connectivity. 32126

Independent tracking and operational evidence still need to establish satellite cataloguing, successful separation, orbit maintenance, spacecraft activation, payload commissioning and real link performance. A pre-launch tracker found no report that Qianfan commercial service had begun as of September 14. 36

The immediate verdict is therefore clear: China’s commercial sector demonstrated two distinct ways to deploy Qianfan satellites at scale within a single 16-hour window. The longer-term verdict will depend on whether SpaceSail can maintain the required launch cadence and turn those newly inserted spacecraft into a functioning broadband network.