KUCHING, April 8 — A fireball-like object streaking across the sky over parts of Sarawak has been linked to debris from China’s Long March-8 carrier rocket.

The incident, which attracted widespread attention, was captured and shared widely on social media by netizens in the state.

According to a report by Global Times on April 7, 2026, China launched the Long March-8 rocket on Tuesday from Hainan province, successfully placing 18 internet satellites into orbit.

The rocket lifted off at 9.32pm from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site.

“It successfully placed the payloads – the seventh batch of networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation – into preset orbit,” the report said.

The launch was seen as a major milestone in China’s commercial space development, following the satellites’ successful deployment into their intended orbits.

Meanwhile, the Qinglan Maritime Safety Administration reportedly imposed temporary shipping restrictions in designated areas of the South China Sea between April 7 and 8 due to the launch activity. — The Borneo Post