Long March, expendable launch systems, China

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches Yaogan-39 04

Oct 24, 2023

A Long March-2D launch vehicle launched the fourth Yaogan-39 mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 23 October 2023, at 20:03 UTC (24 October, at 04:03 local time). According to official sources, the Yaogan-39 (遥感三十九号卫星) remote sensing mission entered the planned orbit.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-6A launches TianHui-5

Nov 1, 2023

A Long March-6A launch vehicle (长征六号甲遥四运载火箭) launched the TianHui-5 satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, Shanxi Province, northern China, on 31 October 2023, at 22:50 UTC (1 November, at 06:50 local time). According to official sources, the TianHui-5 satellite (天绘五号卫星) entered its preset orbit and “will be used for geographic mapping, land resource survey, scientific experiments and other missions”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-7A launches TJSW-10

Nov 3, 2023

A Long March-7A launch vehicle (长征七号A) launched TJSW-10 (Communication Technology Test Satellite 10) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site Hainan Province, China, on 3 November 2023, at 14:54 UTC (22:54 local time). According to official sources, the TJSW-10 satellite (通信技术试验卫星十号) entered the planned orbit successfully and “will be mainly used for multi-band and high-speed communication technology experiments”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-3B launches ZhongXing-6E (ChinaSat-6E)

Nov 11, 2023

A Long March-3B rocket launched the ZhongXing-6E satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 9 November 2023, at 11:23 UTC (19:23 local time). ZhongXing-6E (中星6E, also known as ChinaSat-6E) is a communications satellite designed to “provide reliable, stable and safe radio and television transmission and communication services”, replacing the ZhongXing-6B satellite launched in 2007.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2C launches HaiYang-3 01

Nov 16, 2023

A Long March-2C launch vehicle launched the Huanjing-3 01 satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 16 November 2023, at 03:55 UTC (11:55 local time). According to official sources, the new-generation ocean color monitoring satellite HaiYang-3 01 (海洋三号01, Ocean-3 01) successfully entered the planned orbit and will “help improve understanding of marine waters”, forming a network with HaiYang-1C and HaiYang-1D.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches “Satellite Internet Technology Test Satellite”

Nov 23, 2023

A Long March-2D launch vehicle launched a new “Satellite Internet Technology Test Satellite” (卫星互联网技术试验卫星) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 23 November 2023, at 10:23 UTC (18:23 local time). According to official sources, the satellite successfully entered the planned orbit and “will carry out the mission of testing satellite internet technologies”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2C launches MisrSat-2 and StarPool-1 02 A/B

Dec 4, 2023

A Long March-2C launch vehicle launched MisrSat-2 and the second group of StarPool-1 satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 4 December 2023, at 04:10 UTC (12:10 local time). According to official sources, MisrSat-2 (埃及二号卫星, Egypt-2) is a small remote-sensing satellite that will be operated by the Egyptian Space Agency. The StarPool-1 02 A/B satellites (XingChi-1 02 A/B, 星池一号第二组A/B星) are “independently developed by Ellipspace Technology Co., Ltd.” and will be “mainly used to provide wide-area comprehensive perception satellite application service”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches Yaogan-39 05

Dec 10, 2023

A Long March-2D launch vehicle launched the fifth Yaogan-39 mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 10 December 2023, at 01:58 UTC (09:58 local time). According to official sources, the Yaogan-39 (遥感三十九号卫星) remote sensing mission entered the planned orbit.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-5 launches Yaogan-41

Dec 15, 2023

A Long March-5 launch vehicle (长征五号遥六, Long March-5 Y6) launched the Yaogan-41 satellite (遥感四十一号卫星) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site Hainan Province, China, on 15 December 2023, at 13:41 UTC (21:41 local time). According to official sources, Yaogan-41 is a “high-orbit optical remote sensing satellite”, that will be used for “land survey, crop yield estimation, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-11 launches Shiyan-24C

Dec 26, 2023

A Long March-11 launch vehicle launched the Shiyan-24C mission from a sea-based platform off the coast of Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China, on 25 December 2023, at 22:39 UTC (26 December, at 06:39 local time). According to official sources, the three Shiyan-24C satellites (试验二十四号C卫星) entered the planned orbit and “will be mainly used for space science and technology experiments”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-3B launches two BeiDou-3 MEO backup satellites

Dec 26, 2023

A Long March-3B launch vehicle, with a Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage, launched two backup BeiDou-3 navigation satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 26 December 2023, at 03:26 UTC (11:26 local time). The two medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites (BeiDou-3 MEO-25 and MEO-26) are the 57th and 58th of the BeiDou family and the second and the third to act as a backup satellites for China’s BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3).

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2C launches “Satellite Internet Technology Test Satellite”

Dec 30, 2023

A Long March-2C launch vehicle launched a “Satellite Internet Technology Test Satellite” (卫星互联网技术试验卫星) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, on 30 December 2023, at 00:13 UTC (08:13 local time). According to official sources, the satellite successfully entered its preset orbit.

 

[Administrator]

Einstein Probe launch

Jan 9, 2024

A Long March-2C launch vehicle launched the Einstein Probe (EP) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 9 January 2024, at 07:03 UTC (15:03 local time). The Einstein Probe (爱因斯坦探针) is a collaboration led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), Germany. The Einstein Probe is equipped with a new generation of X-ray instruments with high sensitivity and a very wide view, designed to observe powerful blasts of X-ray light coming from neutron stars and black holes.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2C launches Geely-02

Feb 3, 2024

A Long March-2C launch vehicle launched 11 Geely Constellation Group 02 satellites (吉利星座02组卫星/ Geely-02, 吉利星座02) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 2 February 2024, at 23:37 UTC (3 February, at 07:37 local time). According to official sources, the satellites entered the preset orbits and “are used for earth observation, internet of things experiments, and the verification of satellite positioning technology”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-5 launches TJSW-11

Feb 23, 2024

A Long March-5 launch vehicle (Long March-5 Y7, 长征五号遥七) launched TJSW-11 (Communication Technology Test Satellite 11) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site Hainan Province, China, on 23 February 2024, at 11:30 UTC (19:30 local time). According to official sources, the TJSW-11 satellite (通信技术试验卫星十一号) entered the planned orbit successfully and “will be mainly used for multi-band and high-speed communication technology experiments”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-3B launches WHG-01

Feb 29, 2024

A Long March-3B launch vehicle launched WHG-01 (卫星互联网高轨卫星01, high-orbit internet services satellite) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 29 February 2024, at 13:03 UTC (21:03 local time).

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches Yunhai-2 02


Mar 21, 2024

A Long March-2D rocket launched the second group of Yunhai-2 satellites (云海二号02组卫星) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 21 March 2024, at 05:27 UTC (13:27 local time). The Yunhai-2 satellites are “mainly used in the fields of detection of atmospheric environmental elements, space environment monitoring, disaster prevention and mitigation, and scientific experiments”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-6A launches Yunhai-3 02

Mar 27, 2024

A Long March-6A launch vehicle (长征六号甲) launched the second Yunhai-3 mission (云海三号02星) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, Shanxi Province, China, on 26 March 2024, at 22:51 UTC (27 March, at 06:51 local time). According to official sources, the Yunhai-3 02 satellite “has entered the preset orbit and will be used for atmospheric and marine environment surveys, space environment monitoring, disaster prevention and reduction, and scientific experiments”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches Yaogan-42 01

Apr 3, 2024

A Long March-2D rocket launched the Yaogan-42 01 remote sensing satellite (遥感四十二号01) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 2 April 2024, at 22:56 UTC (3 April, at 06:56 local time). According to official sources, the satellite has entered the preset orbit.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches SuperView Neo 3-01

Apr 15, 2024

A Long March-2D launch vehicle launched the SuperView Neo 3-01 (四维高景三号01星, Gaojing-3 01) remote sensing satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 15 April 2024, at 04:12 UTC (12:12 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the planned orbit and “will provide commercial remote sensing data services for emerging scenarios such as digital agriculture, urban information modeling and live 3D, as well as traditional fields including land surveying and mapping, disaster prevention and mitigation, and maritime monitoring”.