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On CNSA –China National Space Administration    …. ChangZheng  Long March 8A Carrier flight rocket …. At Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China At 10:03 Beijing time on October 25, 2026, the Long March 8A Y12 carrier rocket was launched from Launch Pad No. 1, a dedicated launch pad for the Long March 8 series, at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. The rocket will then send 28 low-Earth orbit satellites for satellite internet into their predetermined low-Earth orbit.

The first launch mission of the Long March 8A rocket in the new phase!

The China Satellite Internet (SSI) low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation comprises 28 satellites, including 9 LEO communication satellites, developed by the Communication and Navigation Satellite Department of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). This mission marks the 11th batch launch of SSI LEO satellites in 2026, and the 28th batch launch in total. With this launch, the total number of SSI LEO satellites launched in 2026 will reach 95, bringing the total number of SSI LEO satellites launched to 231.

The Long March 8A is a medium-lift cryogenic liquid-fueled launch vehicle developed by the Commercial Rocket Company (CCR), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), with the First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) undertaking the development. This rocket is a two-and-a-half-stage clustered launch vehicle. Its most notable feature is that its core second stage uses a 3.35-meter diameter universal hydrogen-oxygen final stage, enabling it to perform three ignitions. It can carry out multi-satellite launch missions into low Earth orbit, and the final stage can actively de-orbit and re-enter to reduce space debris. It also possesses considerable high-orbit and deep-space payload capacity.

As of this mission, the overall management unit for the Long March 8A carrier rocket has been changed from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) to China Commercial Launch Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd. (CCLT). The project management has been transferred to CCLT, while CALT focuses on the rocket’s research, development, production, testing, and launch. This specialization allows for a dual improvement in the quality and efficiency of the Long March 8A’s research, development, production, management, and operation, representing a significant step towards achieving high-frequency launches.

The Long March 8A rocket is 50.539 meters tall (with a 5.2-meter diameter fairing), and its core stage has a diameter of 3.35 meters. It can be equipped with either a 4.2-meter or 5.2-meter diameter fairing. Its liftoff mass is approximately 371 tons, and its liftoff thrust is approximately 480 tons. The rocket has a low Earth orbit (LEO) payload capacity of approximately 11 tons and a payload factor of approximately 3%. This particular rocket is equipped with a 5.2-meter diameter fairing.

This mission marks the 12th launch of the Long March 8A carrier rocket and the 11th launch mission for the China Satellite Network. Through these 11 launches, the Long March 8A has deployed 99 satellites for the China Satellite Network, making it the primary launch vehicle for the network’s deployment.

This mission marks the 6th launch of the Long March 8A carrier rocket in 2026, the 15th launch from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, the 76th launch for China, and the 251st launch worldwide. It is also the 674th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration

At China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration  Successfully launched  Chang Zheng – Long March 4B  Carrier Rocket ignited and took off at the酒泉衛星發射中心 Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Dongfeng Aerospace City – inner Mongolia –China – People’s Republic of China, At 3:25 AM on October 24th, a Long March-4B carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending the Yaogan-53 07-09 and Yaogan-56 19-21 satellites into their predetermined orbits. The launch mission was a complete success.

These satellites will be primarily used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, agricultural yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

This launch marked the 673rd launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

 

I. Core Information of the Launch Mission

• Time and location : 03:25 Beijing time on October 24, 2026, China will carry out the launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
• Launch vehicle : The Long March 4B launch vehicle successfully launched the Yaogan-53 07-09 and Yaogan-56 19-21 satellites into space.
• Orbit insertion result : The satellite successfully entered its predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success.
• Mission batch : This mission is the 673rd flight of the Long March series carrier rockets.

II. Main uses of the six satellites

• Scientific experiments : Remote sensing satellites 53-07-09 and 56-19-21 are used for scientific experiments.
• Land and Resources Census : Support land and resources census to obtain geographic and resource information.
• Agricultural product yield estimation : This service provides data support for agricultural statistics by facilitating agricultural product yield estimation.
• Disaster prevention and mitigation : Used for disaster prevention and mitigation, and to improve disaster monitoring and assessment capabilities.

III. Highlights of the Mission: Launching Six Satellites

• Launch method : This launch will use a single rocket to launch six satellites into their designated orbits.
• Good news from the space program : China’s space program will launch six satellites in 2026, with the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center carrying out the launch once again.
• Series of flights : The Long March series carrier rockets completed their 673rd flight, and the mission was a complete success

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration

At, China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration Successfully launched  Chang Zheng – Long March 6A Y30  At using a Long March-6A carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. At 18:15 on October 23, China successfully launched the Yaogan50 03 satellite into its predetermined orbit using a Long March-6A carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The launch mission was a complete success. The Yaogan50 03 satellite will be mainly used for land surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation. The Long March-6A carrier rocket is a new generation of solid –
liquid coupled medium-lift launch vehicle…

At 18:15 on October 23, the Long March 6A carrier rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending the Yaogan-50 03 satellite into its predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.

The Yaogan-50 03 satellite was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and will be mainly used for land surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation.
The Long March 6A carrier rocket, developed by the Commercial Rocket Company under CASC and with the Eighth Academy undertaking the development, is a new generation of solid-liquid coupled medium-lift carrier rocket.

This launch was the 672nd launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

At 18:15 on October 23, 2026, the Long March 6A carrier rocket successfully launched the Yaogan-50 03 satellite into its predetermined orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, marking a complete success for the mission. Approximately five minutes later, jellyfish-shaped rocket trails appeared in the night sky over Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shandong, and other locations ; these were luminous contrails left by the twilight effect

I. Key Mission Information

• Satellite Purpose : The Remote Sensing Satellite 50-03 was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and is mainly used for land surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation..
• Flight record : This mission marks the 672nd flight of the Long March series carrier rockets and the 74th launch of China’s space program in 2026.
• Rocket performance : The Long March 6A is a new generation of solid-liquid coupled medium rocket with a payload capacity of no less than 4 tons to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit. It is about 50 meters long and has a takeoff weight of about 530 tons

II. How are rocket clouds formed?

• Twilight conditions : The launch occurred shortly after sunset, when it was already dark on the ground, but the atmosphere at an altitude of 80 to 100 kilometers was still illuminated by sunlight.@Master, stop adjusting it
• Ice crystal trails : Water vapor emitted from the liquid oxygen/kerosene engine of a rocket sublimates into ice crystals under low temperature and low pressure, scattering sunlight to form luminous cloud bands, scientifically known as the twilight effect
• Persistent shape : Upper-level wind shear stretches the wake into the shape of a jellyfish, tadpole, or ribbon, which usually lasts from a few minutes to 20 minutes.

• III. Sighting Area and Photography
• Coverage area : Netizens in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and other places photographed the rocket cloud. A noticeable cloud cluster appeared in the western sky of Beijing at around 6:20 p.m..
• Notable viewpoints : The rocket trajectory was also recorded passing over Mount Tai in the Taishan Scenic Area; a photographer waited for several hours on the top of the mountain in Shanxi and captured a contrail that was “much larger than expected”.
• How to identify it : When you see a similar glowing cloud again, check if the time is within 1 hour after sunset, if there is a corresponding launch notification, and if the light trail is pointing westward toward the launch site.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration

星河动力空间科技有限公司 Galactic Energy-  Galaxy Power (Beijing) Space Technology Co., Ltd. Located in Block D, Aviation Technology Plaza, E-Town, and Beijing – Beijing – China – People’s Republic of China ….Galaxy Aerospace is the first private aerospace company in China to achieve successful continuous launches, the first to send commercial networked satellites into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit, and the first to master the ability to launch multiple satellites with one carrier rocket At present, Galactic Energy’s research and development team has a total of more than 100 employees, including 8 doctors and 20 masters. 90% of the staff has more than 5 years’ working experience in spaceflight industry with solid theoretical foundation and rich engineering experience.
Moreover, according to the needs of launch vehicle development, Galactic Energy also invites the experts in rocket integration, pneumatic, attitude control, engine, structure, policy, launch site, security and other aspects of the industry as our advisers. In addition, Galactic Energy also has a professional management and scientific research support team to ensure the whole process of rocket research, development, supply chain, support chain to be in a smooth operation condition.

The world’s first low-inclination remote sensing constellation has launched its first satellite!

China, People’s Republic of China. … At 11:39 Beijing time on October 21, 2026, the Ceres-1 sea-launched (YY-8) carrier rocket was launched from the “Dongfang Aerospace Port” launch ship in the Yellow Sea near Rizhao, Shandong, and successfully sent the Xiguang-4 01 satellite into a near-Earth orbit with an altitude of 541 kilometers and an inclination of 39 degrees.

The mission’s codename is “The Sea Facing Guangzhou”. The mission payload, “Xiguang-4” 01 satellite, is a small low-orbit optical remote sensing satellite developed and manufactured by Guangzhou University, with Guangdong Tianyuan Technology Co., Ltd. taking the lead and Xi’an Zhongke Xiguang Aerospace Technology Group Co., Ltd. specifically undertaking the research and development. It is an experimental satellite for optical remote sensing technology, operating in a low-inclination near-Earth orbit at an altitude of 500-550 kilometers.

The Xiguang-4 01 satellite is the first satellite (verification satellite) of the Wuyang constellation. It is equipped with an electric propulsion system and a high-speed data transmission link. It carries a 0.5-meter resolution high-resolution camera, a 2-meter resolution multispectral camera and a 30-meter resolution wide-swath infrared payload, and adopts a 300-kilogram satellite platform.

As a verification satellite for the constellation, the “Wuyang” constellation’s precursor satellite A (“Xiguang-4” 01 satellite) will fully undertake the verification of the entire chain of technologies, including orbit adaptation, multi-payload imaging, electric propulsion on-orbit scheduling, and satellite-to-ground link, and acquire on-orbit measured engineering data to lay a solid technical foundation for subsequent large-scale operational satellite networking.

The “Wuyang” constellation is the world’s first low-inclination remote sensing satellite constellation, jointly promoted by the Guangzhou Municipal Government, the National Information Center, and Guangzhou University, and operated and applied by Tianyuan Technology. Targeting the economically vibrant mid-to-low latitude region between 39 degrees north and south latitude, it aims to create China’s first high-resolution, wide-swath, full-spectrum, and intelligent aerospace information service system for low-latitude regions. The “Wuyang” constellation comprises 3 precursor satellites and 25 operational satellites.

Ceres-1 is a small solid-propellant launch vehicle developed by Galactic Energy Corporation. It adopts a four-stage tandem configuration, with three solid stages and a room-temperature liquid final stage. The rocket is about 20 meters high and 1.4 meters in diameter, equipped with a 1.6-meter diameter fairing, with a takeoff mass of about 33 tons and a takeoff thrust of 60 tons. Its payload capacity to low Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 200 kilometers is 420 kilograms.

This mission once again validated the entire process of the rocket, from final assembly and testing, sea transport to launch, further solidifying the foundation for future routine and high-frequency launches.

The rocket for this mission was assembled and shipped from the Oriental Spaceport Industrial Park, with the launch ship and other maritime launch services provided by Oriental Spaceport. The “Oriental Spaceport” launch ship is equipped with a “sea-based launch attitude real-time control system” with completely independent intellectual property rights. Through dynamic compensation, it controls the impact of ship swaying on the rocket launch attitude to a very small range, enabling precise launches even in sea state 4.

This mission marks the second launch of the Ceres-1 carrier rocket in 2026, the 73rd launch in China, and the 246th launch worldwide. It is also the 7th sea launch and the 24th launch overall for the Ceres-1 carrier rocket.

Images and visuals are from their respectives also Galactic Energy is located in Block D, Aviation Technology Plaza, E-Town, Beijing- China – People’s Republic of China

星河动力空间科技有限公司 Galactic Energy-  Galaxy Power (Beijing) Space Technology Co., Ltd. Located in Block D, Aviation Technology Plaza, E-Town, and Beijing – Beijing – China – People’s Republic of China ….Galaxy Aerospace is the first private aerospace company in China to achieve successful continuous launches, the first to send commercial networked satellites into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit, and the first to master the ability to launch multiple satellites with one carrier rocket At present, Galactic Energy’s research and development team has a total of more than 100 employees, including 8 doctors and 20 masters. 90% of the staff has more than 5 years’ working experience in spaceflight industry with solid theoretical foundation and rich engineering experience.
Moreover, according to the needs of launch vehicle development, Galactic Energy also invites the experts in rocket integration, pneumatic, attitude control, engine, structure, policy, launch site, security and other aspects of the industry as our advisers. In addition, Galactic Energy also has a professional management and scientific research support team to ensure the whole process of rocket research, development, supply chain, support chain to be in a smooth operation condition.

China, People’s Republic of China’s 73rd Launch This Year At 11:39 AM Beijing time today, the Ceres-1 sea-launched Y8 carrier rocket was successfully launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the sea area near Rizhao, Shandong Province. The Xiguang-4 01 satellite, carried by the rocket, successfully entered its predetermined orbit, marking a complete success for the flight test mission. This mission was the 24th flight of the Ceres-1 carrier rocket!

At 11:39 AM on October 21, 2026, the Ceres-1 sea-launched Y8 carrier rocket successfully launched from the sea area near Rizhao, Shandong, sending the Xiguang-4 01 satellite into its predetermined orbit. The most noteworthy aspect of this mission was the first-ever implementation of a new operational mode of land-based command and sea-based launch , eliminating the need for command personnel to travel to sea with the rocket..

I. Key Information of the Launch Mission

• Time and location : At 11:39 on October 21, the launch was organized by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the sea area near Rizhao, Shandong Province. The rocket was launched from the launch ship “Dongfang Aerospace Port”.
• Payload : The Xiguang-4 01 satellite was launched into a low Earth orbit at an altitude of 541 kilometers using a “one rocket, one satellite” method.
• Mission codename : The mission is named “The Sea Facing Guangzhou”, and the emblem design incorporates the outlines of the Guangzhou Tower and the Five Rams Statue.

II. How the New Land Command Model Works

• Division of labor adjustment : The rocket is launched from the sea launch ship, but the pre-launch inspection, countdown process, ignition command issuance and ascent phase flight monitoring are all transferred to the newly opened Rizhao Land Command and Control Center of Shandong Maritime Launch.
• Addressing pain points : In the past, command personnel traveled to sea on ships, facing challenges such as seasickness and limited space. Shipboard communication equipment also experienced signal interruptions due to vibrations during rocket launch. After relocating ashore, the working environment for personnel is more stable, communication methods are more abundant, and in the long run, launch costs can be reduced.
• Significance : Rizhao now has its own dedicated land-based rocket launch command center, transitioning from a single launch site to a maritime launch support base with complete command and control capabilities.26

III. Ceres-1 Launch History

• 24th flight : This mission marks the 24th flight of the Ceres-1 launch vehicle..
• The sea-launched version boasts high reliability : Since its maiden flight on September 5, 2023, the sea-launched version has successfully carried out multiple sea launches with a 100% success rate, making it one of China’s main rocket types for rapid response and high-density commercial launches.
• Launch schedule is accelerating : Ceres-1 just completed its seventh launch in January this year, and about nine months later it will launch its eighth mission, with launch orders already booked until 2028

Images and visuals are from their respectives also Galactic Energy is located in Block D, Aviation Technology Plaza, E-Town, Beijing- China – People’s Republic of China