HELSINKI — China successfully launched the first of a new group of Yaogan satellites Friday to test technologies for a low Earth orbit constellation.
A Long March 4B rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 3:35 a.m. Eastern, Aug. 16 (0735 UTC), rising into partially cloudy skies above the hills surrounding the spaceport. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) confirmed launch success within an hour of launch, revealing the mission to be Yaogan-43 (01).
Few details were initially revealed about the Yaogan-43 (01) mission. The number of satellites were not initially disclosed. However, mission control screen renders suggest a number of satellites attached to a payload adapter.
SAST, which also provided the hypergolic Long March 4B launcher, issued a mission patch containing nine stars. In Chinese, the character for ‘star’ is often used interchangeably with ‘satellite.
The mission used the largest fairing coupled with the Long March 4 rocket series so far to accommodate the payloads.
The satellites are understood to have been variously developed by, or involved payloads from, CASC’s China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), IAMCAS under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and MinoSpace, a commercial spacecraft maker, according to post-launch statements from these entities.
Yaogan (“remote sensing”) satellites are thought to be for users including military customers. Few details, if any, are available about the satellites. They are typically described as being for purposes including land survey, crop yield estimation, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and disaster prevention and reduction or “electromagnetic environment detection and tests.”
Exceptionally, the satellites for Yaogan-43 (01) are described as “mainly used to carry out new technology experiments for the low-orbit constellation system.”
It is not stated as to which low Earth orbit constellation this refers. China is planning to construct separate communications megaconstellations named Guowang (“national net”) and Shanghai-backed G60 Starlink/Thousand Sails. The remote sensing aspect could suggest a system with integrated communications and optical or other capabilities.
In general, the various series of Yaogan satellites are understood to include optical imaging, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellites. This combination provides high-resolution imagery and all-weather and all-day and night imagery, along with the collection of electronic signals from radar, communication systems and other electronic devices, with coverage of both land and sea.
The launch was China’s 36th of 2024. CASC stated early in the year that China aimed to launch around 100 times this year. It added that commercial launch providers will account for around roughly 30 of these launches.
Major missions include Shenzhou human spaceflight missions, space station cargo flights. China has already completed Chang’e-6 lunar far side sample return mission.
The previous launch carried the first 18 satellites for the G60 Starlink or “Thousand Sails” low Earth orbit megaconstellation. That launch, also facilitated by SAST, saw the rocket upper stage break up into at least 700 pieces of orbital debris.