China's Long March 8 rocket set a new record at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan on February 27,2022. It's the first time that the rocket(lift) off with 22 satellites, and they were later launched into space.
The technology behind a single rocket lifting off with multiple satellites inside is complex, as all the satellites must be arranged(suitable)apart inside, like "passengers" in a crowded vehicle. The design of the rocket must be such that the satellites inside don' touch or block(阻挡) each other in the launching process.
Also, when the rocket reaches its launching point, the doors must open(let) the satellites come out. The timing(control)so that the satellites have enough time and do not hit against each other. In 1981,China sent 3 satellites into orbit with one single rocket launch, thus (become)the third country in the world to have mastered the technology. Even today, only 5 countries and the European Space Agency have the technology, but the others .
More satellites are needed to meet the demand of(variety) fields, from remote communication to weather forecasting, even automated driving. Starlink, is part of Elon Musk's SpaceX project, plans to launch 40,000 satellites. Some of them are even smallera coffee cup or a book, but they still need a rocket to send them into space first.
The more satellites China can send with a single rocket launch, the more competitive it will be. This means China still has a long way to go in developing "single rocket, multiple satellite" technology.
In January 2021,a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried 143 satellites into orbit, setting a new world record for the most satellites(launch)by a single rocket. But due to the efforts of Chinese scientists and engineers, China might break that record one day.