LandSpace's Zhuque-2E Y7 lofts ten Qianfan satellites, the series' first large-scale constellation deployment on its 9th flight
At 14:26 on 15 September, LandSpace's Zhuque-2E Y7 lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone and placed 10 satellites for Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (the Qianfan constellation) into a 900 km orbit. It was the ninth flight of the Zhuque-2 series and the series' first large-scale satellite-internet deployment. LandSpace is meanwhile pursuing a STAR Market IPO seeking RMB 7.5 billion.
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According to Xinhua, the Zhuque-2E Y7 (ZQ-2E Y7) lifted off at 14:26 on 15 September from the methalox launch pad at the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone and placed 10 Qianfan polar-orbit Group 19 satellites for Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology into a 900 km orbit; the flight test was a complete success. People's Daily, Jiemian, 21st Century Business Herald and other outlets reported it at the same time.
This was the ninth flight of the Zhuque-2 series and the first time the series has carried out a large-scale satellite-internet constellation deployment. Y5 had demonstrated deployment to higher orbits, and Y6 flew again 26 days later to test back-to-back launch operations; Y7 builds on that by taking on constellation deployment with a larger payload count. The Zhuque-2E is 3.35 metres in diameter and 47.3 metres long, with a liftoff mass of 219 tonnes and a capacity of 4 tonnes to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit or 6 tonnes to LEO, making it the most capable methalox rocket in service in China. The Zhuque-2 was the world's first methalox rocket to reach orbit and China's first private liquid-fuelled rocket to achieve consecutive successful launches.
Background on the Qianfan (G60) constellation: according to Phoenix New Media, phase one planned to launch 648 GEN1 satellites by the end of 2025 for regional coverage, phase two to launch 648 GEN2 satellites in 2026-2027 for global coverage, with a long-term plan of more than 15,000 satellites. These are planned figures, not numbers from this mission. LandSpace flew its first Qianfan mission on 9 June this year, when Y6 carried two satellites.
What else the company is doing: LandSpace is pursuing a listing on the STAR Market. Its application was accepted by the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 31 December 2025 with CICC as sponsor, seeking RMB 7.5 billion for reusable-rocket technology and capacity projects; according to 21jingji.com its review status is currently "inquiry issued". The company is also working on engineering reuse validation of the Zhuque-3, a large stainless-steel methalox rocket whose first stage is designed for at least 20 reuses, which on 19 August achieved China's first orbital flight followed by a landing on land. LandSpace says officially that the Zhuque-2E and Zhuque-3 are "not a simple replacement": the former handles routine commercial launches now, the latter targets larger future demand, and the two share key engine technology such as the Tianque-12A and Tianque-15A.
Our take: the significance of this launch is not a record; ten satellites is not many. What is worth noting is the change in the kind of mission: from single-point technical validation on Y5 and Y6 to Y7's first large-scale constellation deployment, LandSpace has moved the Zhuque-2E from "proving it can fly" to "can it deliver capacity to one specific customer steadily and in volume". It is the same signal as CAS Space's emphasis this week on "30 launches a year and a 10-day launch campaign" for the Kinetica-1: Chinese commercial solid and liquid rockets are both shifting from a first-flight narrative to a production narrative. For LandSpace, still in the IPO queue, launch cadence from here will be the capital market's most direct test.