China launched a Long March 8 carrier rocket early on Wednesday morning at the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang, a coastal city in Hainan province, sending 18 internet satellites into space.

According to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's dominant space conglomerate, the rocket blasted off at 12:38 am from the commercial spaceport's No 1 launch pad, marking the first launch activity at the pad, which is specifically tasked with servicing Long March 8-series rockets.

After a short flight, the rocket deployed 18 plate-shaped satellites, the fifth batch in the Spacesail Constellation, into their preset orbit, said the State-owned company, the contractor of the launch mission.