SHANGHAI: A Gravity-1 sea launch sent nine satellites into orbit early Wednesday. The launch set Chinese records for payload mass and orbital altitude in a single maritime launch, Xinhua reported.
The OrienSpace-built Gravity-1 Y3 lifted off from waters east of Shanghai at 6 a.m. Beijing time, carrying eight satellites for China’s Qianfan broadband constellation and one EUHT technology-test spacecraft.
OrienSpace said the mission carried a net payload exceeding three tonnes to an insertion altitude of about 800 kilometres. It was Gravity-1’s fourth successful flight and its first mission supporting deployment of a large low-Earth-orbit internet constellation.
The ninth spacecraft was identified as an EUHT ultra-high-speed wireless communications technology test satellite. Public mission descriptions do not link it to military systems or to the U.S. disclosure of orbital weapons.
China’s Gravity-1 Y3 carrier rocket successfully placed nine satellites into planned orbits during a sea launch from the eastern waters off Shanghai at 06:00 Beijing time on September 16, setting new records for payload weight and orbit altitude in a single mission.… pic.twitter.com/G0RZUSgAvy
— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) September 16, 2026The launch followed separate scrutiny of China’s Yaogan-50 (02) satellite. U.S. Space Force tracking data cited by orbital analyst Jonathan McDowell showed 43 debris objects associated with the spacecraft by September 4. However, the cause of the fragmentation remains unconfirmed.
Two days before the Gravity-1 mission, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink publicly acknowledged that the Space Force has “on-orbit space control weapons.” However, he did not disclose their type or capabilities.
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China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded on September 15 by opposing the weaponisation of space and urging Washington to halt further military buildup there. Meanwhile, Beijing did not connect that dispute to Wednesday’s commercial satellite launch.
