(Yicai) Sept. 16 -- LandSpace, a private Chinese aerospace company, has put 10 new satellites into space to add to the Spacesail Constellation, also known as the Qianfan project and the G60 Starlink, often referred to as China's version of SpaceX's satellite internet service Starlink.

The Zhuque-2E Y7 rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China yesterday, placing the 10 Spacesail networking satellites developed by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology into their designated orbits, Beijing-based LandSpace announced on the same day.

The Spacesail Constellation is a satellite internet constellation led by SSST that is planned to include more than 15,000 low Earth orbit satellites, creating a global satellite communication network. So far, it consists of 256 satellites.

The latest launch marks the first time a Chinese private commercial space firm has deployed a large satellite internet constellation, LandSpace pointed out. Building on the previous ZQ-2E Y5 and ZQ-2E Y6 missions, the ZQ-2E Y7 further increased payload capacity for orbit insertion, reducing clients' costs and providing the industry with an efficient launch solution that can be applied at scale, it noted.

The ZQ-2E is LandSpace's primary rocket series for routine commercial launch missions, Ma Haijing, general manager of the marketing department, told Yicai. In addition, the company is developing the ZQ-3 reusable carrier rocket to meet future demand for greater payload capacity and more frequent missions, Ma said.

LandSpace completed the ZQ-3's second test on Aug. 19, recovering its first substage for the first time and making it the first rocket in China to reach orbit and achieve land recovery. The first recovery test failed at the end of last year.

The ZQ-2E has a maximum payload capacity of six tons, while the ZQ-3 has 18 tons in a recovered state, Ma pointed out. The two rockets will be combined in the future based on different customer needs, payloads, and mission requirements, collectively enhancing LandSpace's commercial launch service capabilities, Ma added.

Established in 2015, LandSpace has launched nine ZQ-2 series rockets and two ZQ-3 series rockets. The company plans to raise CNY7.5 billion (USD1.1 billion) via an initial public offering on Shanghai's Nasdaq-style Star Market.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev