Long March – The surprise mission carried two internet satellites into orbit and marks China’s latest effort to develop reusable rocket technology similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. (Image: CCTV) China has successfully launched a partially reusable rocket Long March 12B, which has many similarities with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, in a surprise first mission that deployed two internet satellites into orbit.

The rocket was launched on June 1 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The launch attracted attention because it happened without any warning.

China did not issue an airspace closure notice before the mission, a safety measure typically used by launch operators before rocket launches. The maiden flight of Long March 12B carried two operational satellites for the Qianfan, or ‘Thousand Cells’ Internet megaconstellation.

The network is often compared to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system. According to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), both satellites were successfully deployed into low Earth orbit.