China launched a group of 18 communications satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province on Tuesday afternoon.

With a combined weight of 4.8 metric tons, the satellites, the first batch in the Qianfan network to be deployed in orbit, were carried by a Long March 6A rocket that blasted off at 2:42 pm and soon arrived in their preset orbit.

Developed by the Shanghai-based company SpaceSail, the Qianfan network is intended for providing high-speed, secure and reliable broadband internet services to users around the world, and is designed to consist of as many as more than 10,000 satellites, according to the company.

The Long March 6A rocket model was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology as a medium-lift launch vehicle.

It consists of a 50-meter, liquid-propelled core booster and four solid-fuel side boosters. The core booster has a diameter of 3.35 meters and is propelled by two 120-ton-thrust engines burning liquid oxygen and kerosene.

The rocket has a liftoff weight of 530 metric tons and is tasked with transporting satellites to multiple types of orbit, including sun-synchronous, low-Earth and intermediate circular orbit.