Chinese commercial launch operators carried out sequential Qianfan missions between September 15 and 16, placing private rockets into orbit to form packet internet networks in low Earth orbit, rather than merely demonstrating technologies.
On September 15 at 14:26 Beijing time, the Zhuque-2 Improved rocket, also known as Zhuque-2E, from LandSpace launched from the Dunfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwestern China. This launch delivered 10 satellites for the polar-orbiting Qianfan 19 group into their designated orbits near an altitude of 900 kilometers. According to state and industry sources, the flight was successful and presented as the first large-scale launch of a private commercial Chinese rocket for a satellite internet constellation.
Approximately 16 hours later, around 06:00 on September 16, the Gravity-1 Y3 rocket from Orienspace was launched from a sea platform in the East China Sea. It placed eight Qianfan network satellites, along with one test satellite for high-speed wireless communication, into planned orbits. In total, these two missions put 18 Qianfan-related assets into orbit for the same constellation client in less than a day.
It is emphasized that previous commercial flights involved experimental or verification satellites; the new standard now involves the ability to deploy multiple flat network units in a single commercial mission, including their docking, interfaces, separation sequence, and injection accuracy.
Qianfan, developed by Shanghai's SpaceSail, remains the densest commercial LEO internet constellation in China by the number of orbiting assets. Following these two commercial launches, public counts indicate that there are about 256 satellites in orbit, which lags behind the year-end target of 324 satellites. Thus, there is a gap of approximately 68 assets and just over three months until the goal is reached. Launch rates—not just satellite production capacity—are considered the main limiting factor, as the national Long March capacity is also used to meet the demand of other mega-constellations.
LandSpace's Zhuque-2E line, which uses methanol and liquid fuel, shares engines and separation technology with the company's road map for the reusable Zhuque-3, while Orienspace continues to use solid-fuel Gravity-1 sea launches to increase the commercial pace. These flights are editorially significant regardless of funding: the news is operational—two commercial carriers, one constellation client, and the claimed first instance of packet internet network formation in LEO by private Chinese rockets. The speed at which these 18 assets transition into operational capacity will be determined by independent tracking of activation in orbit and communication channel performance.