China launches nine satellites into pre-set orbits on Wednesday from waters off the coast of Shanghai in east China on September 16, 2026. Photo: Science and Technology Daily

China launched nine satellites into pre-set orbits on Wednesday from waters off the coast of Shanghai in East China, setting new records for both the heaviest payload and the highest orbital altitude achieved in a single maritime launch, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday.

The Gravity-1 Y3 carrier rocket, developed by Orienspace, placed eight Qianfan Constellation satellites and one EUHT technology test satellite into their planned orbits with complete success. The mission marks the world's first sea-based mobile launch of a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) broadband internet constellation networking mission, said the report.

The flight set new Chinese records for both the heaviest payload and the highest orbital altitude achieved in a single maritime launch. The net payload mass exceeded 3 tons and the insertion altitude reached 800 kilometers, demonstrating that the sea-launch mode is fully capable of handling medium-to-large satellite payloads.

This was Orienspace's first launch dedicated to a mega LEO satellite internet constellation. The payload configuration consisted of a stacked-satellite assembly and a flat-panel satellite assembly, placing higher demands on multi-stage separation control technology, according to the report.

"This launch marks a new step for China's commercial space sector in solid-fuel rockets, sea-based launches, and large-scale constellation service capabilities, which enhances China's agility and resilience in global commercial space competition," Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of the Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Wang noted that the mission placed eight Qianfan Constellation satellites into their designated orbits, directly advancing the construction of Qianfan, China's first giant low-orbit commercial satellite constellation to enter the formal networking phase. 

Gravity-1 is a solid-propellant rocket developed by the company with a maximum LEO capacity of 6.5 tons. This was the rocket's second far-sea mobility and far-sea launch, coming only 56 days after the previous mission. It once again fully verified the vehicle's ability to operate in high-temperature, high-humidity and high-salt-fog maritime environments, further confirming its reliability, according to CCTV News.

The development of its reusable large liquid-propellant rocket, Gravity-2, is accelerating and the vehicle will soon make its debut. It is expected to deliver an LEO capacity of 21.5 tons, the Science and Technology Daily reported.

Many commercial space companies are choosing to launch their rockets from the sea. For instance, China succeeded in another orbital launch from the sea in August, with Smart Dragon-3, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, delivering Satellite 01 and 02 of the Dongfang Huiyan spatiotemporal intelligent constellation hyperspectral remote-sensing satellite system into their designated orbits.

Regarding the advantages of sea launches, Wang noted that the core benefit lies in mobility: the launch platform can be sailed to favorable locations, such as low-latitude areas, allowing selection of the optimal launch site for orbital insertion as different orbits require different ideal launch points. Furthermore, if the rocket flies toward the open sea, the impact on coastal towns and residents on land can be significantly reduced.