China’s Long March 8A Rocket Debuts, But What’s Really on Board?

Yesterday, on 11 February 2025, China marked a remarkable achievement in its space industry with the launch of the Long March 8A rocket. This launch not only marked the first time the upgraded version of the Long March 8 reached space but also introduced new satellites into the Guowang mega constellation.

Long March 8A Launch Fuels China’s Satellite Internet Goals

The Long March 8A launch on 11 February 2025 was conducted from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. About an hour after this launch, the China Aerospace Science And Technology Corporation (CASA) was able to confirm the success of this launch.

Aboard the Long March 8A was the second batch of the Guowang megaconstellation internet satellites. This new set of satellites will help to improve the performance of China’s internet satellite connection.

There is no information on the number of satellites aboard the just-launched rocket. However, the first launch of the Guowang mega constellation carried 10 satellites aboard the Long March 5B rocket.

Without adequate details on the amount of satellites aboard the just launched rocket, it is difficult to determine the capacity of the rocket. Possibly at a later date, we might get to know the details on the capacity of this rocket from the US Space Force space domain awareness.

All You Need To Know About The Long March 8A

The Long March 8A is simply an upgraded version of the Long March 8 which hit the launch stage on December 2020. In comparison with its predecessor, the new rocket entry features a larger 5.2-metre-diametre payload.

This is possible thanks to the 3.35-metre-diametre hydrogen-oxygen second stage, which isn’t present on the Long March 8. As a result of its larger payload, the newer rocket can carry around 7000-kilogram payloads to 700 kilometres of Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

While the Long March 8A isn’t reusable, its coming successors will test reusable launchers. Over the coming months, the China Aerospace Science And Technology Corporation (CASA) will test reusable launchers on the coming Long March 9, 10, and 12 rockets.