Three Chinese military satellites and a payload civil data relay started Thursday on a 2C Long March rocket.
The four spacecraft rang in a 370-mile orbit from the launch base Xichang, in the Southwest of China’s mountainous part of Sichuan, with a rise at 1811 GMT (2:11 p.m. EDT) on Thursday.
Chinese Satellite Launch
Launch took place on Friday 2:11 a.m. Pekin time, as stated in the China Academy of Vehicle Launch Technology, or CALT, a governmental contractor carrying on the 2C rocket Long March.
According to a CALT declaration, officials declared the mission to be a “full success.” U.S. military tracking data indicated that a two-stage, 35 degrees equator liquid-fueling rocket delivered its payload to the intended orbit.
The Yaogan 30-type spacecraft have been in the eighth triplet since 2017 and have launched 2C rockets on the Xichang plant on Long March in similar orbits. The three Yaogan 30-08 satellites launched Thursday are designed to “detect electromagnetic environment and related technologies,” said the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua.
For satellites in the country, the Chinese Government uses the Yaogan name and the Yaogan 30 family is believed to have been designed for a signal intelligence mission.
On May 7, 2021, at 2:11 a.m. Beijing time, a Long March-2C racket of the Yaogan-30 family was launched. Satellites, according to reports, will be used for electromagnetic environmental detection and related technological testing. These satellites are likely to operate within the Chinese constellation Chuangxin-5 (CX-5), which is actively used by the Chinese Navy for military surveillance across areas of global interest.
There was also a Tianqi constellation satellite on board. The Tianqi-12 satellite collects and transmits data.
Some analysts suggested that the 30 satellite family Yaogan could either test new electronic satellites or assist the Chinese military to track U.S. military and other foreign naval deployments. But the Chinese government has not disclosed details about the spacecraft and its missions.
The other satellite launched Thursday was Tianqi 12, the Peking based company Guodian Gaoke’s small commercial satellite relay.
Three Yaogan 30 satellites were launched so far this year as the 13th orbital launch attempt from China. Twelve missions were successful.
