China is ramping up construction of its national satellite-internet megaconstellation.

A Long March 5B rocket lifted off from Wenchang Space Launch Center on the island of Hainan on Wednesday (Aug. 13) at 2:43 a.m. EDT (0643 GMT; 2:43 p.m. local time), carrying a batch of satellites aloft for the Guowang broadband network.

The mission to low Earth orbit (LEO) was a complete success, according to the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

Guowang, whose name translates as "national network," will be operated by China Satnet, a state-run company established in 2021. The constellation will eventually consist of about 13,000 satellites, if all goes to plan.

Guowang is a long way from that goal. Wednesday's launch was just the eighth overall for the network,

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