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At 0338 Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time9 April 2026 , China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration   Successfully launched  Chang Zheng – Long March 6A yao 17 Carrier Rocket ignited and took off at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center Shanxi Province.. China successfully launched the 21st low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center using a Long March-6A carrier rocket. This launch was the 81st space launch globally in 2026, China’s 21st (3rd this month), the 6th launch by the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology, and the 3rd launch by the Long March-6A rocket

The Long March 6A rocket, developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, is China’s first solid-liquid coupled launch vehicle, capable of launching single, dual, triple, or stacked satellites …

I. Core Technologies and Positioning

• The Long March 6A, the first solid-liquid hybrid rocket
  , is China’s only medium-lift rocket to adopt a “liquid core stage + solid booster” configuration.
  • Core-level power : Equipped with two liquid oxygen and kerosene engines (non-toxic and pollution-free), providing stable thrust for extended range;
  • Solid propulsion : It is equipped with four solid rocket motors with a diameter of 2 meters, each with a thrust of 120 tons and an ignition response of only milliseconds, which significantly improves the initial thrust.@China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation…
  • Carrying capacity : ≥4.5 tons for 700 km sun-synchronous orbit, and up to 6.5 tons for 500 km orbit.@Beijing Blue Dragon31
• It can flexibly adapt to the needs of multiple missions
  and supports various launch configurations such as single satellite, dual satellite, three satellites, stacking, and wall mounting. It can be adapted to diverse payloads such as remote sensing satellites and communication constellations. For example, the Qianfan constellation was once deployed in the form of “18 satellites in one launch”.@Science and Technology Power1
• Breakthroughs in intelligence and security
  • For the first time in China, online fault diagnosis and adaptive reconfiguration technology for servo systems has been adopted, enabling automatic adjustment of control commands during flight.
  • The health diagnostic system completes engine status analysis within 0.3 seconds and automatically stops ignition if an abnormality is detected.
  • The system enables unattended launches, with personnel evacuated four hours before the mission and the system taking over remotely.

2 Application Scenarios and Strategic Value

• The core carrier of the satellite internet network
  is responsible for the networking mission of China’s “Government Grid Constellation” (GW constellation), which is planned to have 13,000 satellites and provide global coverage 6G communication services. More than 50 satellites will be launched by 2025, and the core backbone network is planned to be completed by the end of 2026.2734
• Military-civilian integration and industrial empowerment
  • Civilian applications : Supporting national land surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation (such as real-time monitoring of floods);31
  • Military potential : Low-Earth orbit satellites can provide encrypted communication and high-precision navigation correction, enabling a “detect and strike” combat mode;
  • Commercial spaceflight : Reduce the cost of a single launch by 30% and promote the localization of satellite manufacturing (such as phased array antennas being 100% domestically controlled).
• The environmentally friendly and sustainable design
  uses green propellants, with emissions mainly consisting of water vapor and carbon dioxide; the satellite is equipped with a thin-film deorbit sail, which will burn up in the atmosphere within 3 months after the end of its lifespan, reducing space debris.

IV. Public Concerns and Future Challenges

• Spaceflight
  has created numerous astronomical phenomena, including the “twilight effect” and “rocket piercing the moon.” In June 2025, observers in Xi’an captured images of a giant scattering cloud ejected from a rocket in the morning light.4
• International competition and technological iteration
  • Advantages : Mature solid-liquid bonding technology (100% success rate), modular design supports rapid integration;
  • Challenges : Facing SpaceX’s rocket recovery technology, the development of reusable rockets needs to be accelerated; the international launch market is constrained by geopolitics.

With its “cross-domain propulsion” and mission adaptability, the Long March 6 rocket has become the backbone of China’s high-density space launches and will continue to support the country’s space infrastructure and global competition for low-Earth orbit resources in the future.

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

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 0348 Beijing time…..   At 21:32 on April 7, 2026, a Long March-8 Y7 carrier rocket successfully launched the seventh batch of 18 networking satellites of the Qianfan constellation from Launch Complex1 at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site

The Qianfan constellation, consisting of 18 networking satellites, was developed by the Shanghai Microsatellite Engineering Center and is constructed and operated by Shanghai Yuanxin Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. Utilizing Ku and Q/V frequency bands, it will provide global users with low-latency, high-speed, and highly reliable satellite (broadband) internet services. The Long March- 8 carrier rocket was developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. As a member of the Long March-8 series rockets, this type of rocket, together with the Long March-8A rocket, forms a 5-ton and 7-ton payload capacity echelon for sun-synchronous orbit. The Long March-8 rocket used in this mission adopted a basic configuration with two boosters.

This year, the Long March-8 series rockets will begin a high-density launch mode, continuously promoting the construction of China’s low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation and the high-quality development of commercial aerospace. This mission significantly shortened the launch and testing process and improved efficiency, providing strong support for subsequent high-density launch missions. The launch of the seventh batch of Qianfan constellation satellites was undertaken by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (Great Wall), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, as the general contractor. This marks the seventh time Great Wall has assisted in the construction of the Qianfan constellation system, following the successful orbital insertion of the sixth batch of Qianfan constellation satellites in October 2025. In this mission, the meteorological system of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site independently undertook the meteorological support work for the first time. This launch mission has further enhanced the comprehensive service and support capabilities of Hainan Commercial Launch Center.

❶ 20th Chinese space launch in 2026 (17 successful)

❷ 5th Long March 8 carrier rocket launch (5 successful)

❸ 13th Long March 8 series carrier rocket launch (13 successful)

❹ 636th Long March series carrier rocket launch (618 successful)

❺ 14th launch from Hainan Commercial Launch Center (14 successful)

 ❻ 753rd Chinese space launch (712 successful)

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

On the 27ht March  2026, 1201 Hours Hong- Kong SAR – Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration , China, People’s Republic of China .At 12:11 on March 27, 2026, the Long March 2C carrier rocket/Yuanzheng-1S upper stage of the Test 33 satellite was successfully launched from launch pad 94 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

 Successfully launched the Shiyan-33 satellite into its predetermined orbit using a Long March-2C carrier rocket/Yuanzheng-1S upper stage from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The launch mission was a complete success. This satellite will primarily be used for scientific experiments in space environment exploration.

The large red screen (photo) and mission badge are shown. The  Shiyan-33 satellite Test 33 satellite is mainly used for space environment exploration and scientific experiments. Both the Long March 2C rocket and the Yuanzheng-1S upper stage were developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The Long March 2C/Yuanzheng-1S configuration rocket is based on the two-stage Long March 2C rocket with the addition of the Yuanzheng-1S liquid upper stage. It can perform various orbital launch missions, including single-satellite, multi-satellite, and constellation deployments. It supports tandem, parallel, side-mounted, and combined configurations. Its payload capacity to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit is 2.5 tons. This is the third launch of the Long March 2C rocket in 2026.

This year, the Long March 2C rocket will maintain a high-frequency launch pattern :

① The 17th Chinese space launch in 2026 (15 successful) ;

② The 87th launch of the Long March 2C carrier rocket (85 successful);

③ The 635th launch of the Long March series carrier rockets (617 successful);

④ The 278th launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (257 successful);

 ⑤ The 750th Chinese space launch (710 successful).

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

At Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time 26^th  March 2026 , China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration   At 6:51 AM Beijing time on March 26, 2026, China successfully launched the Siwei Gaofen-2 05 and 06 satellites into their predetermined orbits using a Long March-2D carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The launch mission was a complete success. This mission marked the 634th flight of the Long March series carrier rockets.

2026🇨🇳/Global Space Launch No. 16/66: 03-26 06:51, TSLC LC-9, CZ-2D Y105, SV Neo 2-05/06, 510km SSO, Launch Successful

The 4D Gaofen-2 05/06 satellite was developed by the 509 Institute of the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology. It carries advanced payloads such as high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and high-precision inter-satellite relative state measurement equipment. It can provide all-weather, all-day, high-resolution SAR images with a resolution better than 1 meter. It can quickly and efficiently generate global 1:25,000 scale digital surface/elevation model products, radar orthophoto products, deformation monitoring products and services based on time-series radar interferometry.

To ensure high-precision collaborative mapping between the two satellites, the research and development team adopted a “three-synchronization” technology for time, space, and phase, combined with rigorous return orbit design and maintenance techniques. This ensures that the two satellites operate within a precise 200-meter orbit range. Furthermore, they can flexibly switch between orbital and follow-fly formations according to mission requirements, achieving a dual improvement in mapping efficiency and accuracy.

After entering orbit, the satellites will form a “four-satellite, two-group” collaborative network operation mode with the already orbiting 4D Gaofen-2 03 and 04 satellites, creating a leading high-precision commercial microwave mapping satellite system in China. Through the efficient cooperation of the two groups of satellites, imaging capabilities will be significantly enhanced, data acquisition capabilities will double, and the revisit cycle will be halved to 8 days.

In this mission, the Long March 2D rocket test team used a composite material fairing with a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters for the first time, providing the satellite with a larger envelope space; and for the first time, a wireless temperature measurement system for the propellant tank outer wall was officially used, simplifying launch site procedures, further reducing the weight of onboard products, and enabling redundancy and reuse of propellant temperature measurement sensors.

This launch marks the 103rd launch of the Long March 2D rocket, the 261st launch of the Long March series carrier rockets developed by the Eighth Academy, and the 634th launch overall.

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