China's first commercial spacecraft launch site will take on more missions in the future, said its builder, as the successful group launch of 18 low Earth orbit satellites on Wednesday marked the site's dual-pad readiness for upcoming missions. A group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites was launched aboard the Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in in the early hours of Wednesday. The satellites, the fifth group of its kind, have entered the preset orbit successfully, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). They will constitute China's commercial internet constellation Spacesail. This mission marks the inaugural launch from the site's No. 1 launch pad, which, following the inaugural launch from the No. 2 pad on Nov. 30, 2024, signifies the dual-pad readiness of China's first commercial spaceport for future missions. The Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site is currently China's only commercially operated spacecraft launch site. Its construction began in July 2022, and the site's first launch was successfully completed on Nov 30, 2024. From groundbreaking to full completion and the inaugural launch, the entire process took only 878 days. Now it is advancing the construction of the phase II project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. After its completion, the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site will add an annual launch capacity of 30 to 40 launches, bringing the total annual launch capacity to over 60. Shotlist: Wenchang City, Hainan Province, south China - March 12, 2025: 1. Various of Long March-8 Y6 rocket carrying 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasting off; 2. Various of crew celebrating successful satellite launch; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yang Tianliang, president, Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center (ending with shot 4): "This proves that our launch site is fully capable of launching various types of rockets. The No.1 launch pad has witnessed the successful launch of the Long March-8. The No.2 launch pad will be ready for the launch of the Long March-12 and other rockets. Our goal is to achieve 30 launches per year and realize a high-frequency launch schedule this year."; 4. Various of crew celebrating successful launch; Wenchang City, Hainan Province, south China - Recent 5. Various of China's first commercial spacecraft launch site; 6. Aerial shots of second phrase of commercial spacecraft launch site under construction; 7. Aerial shot of launch site; 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yang Tianliang, president, Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center (starting with shots 6-7): "Building a launch site like this one is to find another way to enter space. In the future, it will provide more opportunities for us to go to space and carry out work in space which we can now only imagine."; 9. Aerial shots of second phrase of China's first commercial spacecraft launch site under construction. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]