A Long March 5B rocket pierces thick fog during liftoff from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, its bright engines casting an orange glow over silhouetted palm trees.
A Long March 5B lifts off from Wenchang in foggy conditions, April 28, carrying the third group of Guowang satellites. Credit: Ourspace

HELSINKI — China launched a third batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites Tuesday, advancing its ambitious low Earth orbit communications network to rival Starlink and other global systems.

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Andrew Jones covers China's space industry for SpaceNews. Andrew has previously lived in China and reported from major space conferences there. Based in Helsinki, Finland, he has written for National Geographic, New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, Sky...