On the day of 14th June 2025 Hours Hong- Kong SAR – Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration , China, People’s Republic of China At 1556 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time , the Chang Zheng -Long March 2D the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center using the Long March 2D Yao 42 carrier rocket. ….
At 15:56 on June 14, China successfully launched the electromagnetic monitoring satellite “Zhang Heng No. 1” 02 into space using the Long March 2D carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The carrier rocket sent the satellite into the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success. This is another major achievement in China’s detection capability construction in the field of geophysical field space observation, further enhancing China’s “sky-air-ground” three-dimensional monitoring capabilities for major natural disasters.
The satellite is a concrete practice of implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on the Electromagnetic Monitoring Satellite 02, which was witnessed and signed by the leaders of China and Italy in 2019. It is the first geophysical field detection business satellite in the medium- and long-term development plan of the national civil space infrastructure. The satellite has a design life of 6 years and carries 9 payloads, including an electric field detector developed jointly by China and Italy and a high-energy particle detector developed by Italy. It will conduct quasi-real-time monitoring of relevant parameters of the global electromagnetic field, electromagnetic waves, ionosphere, and neutral atmosphere, capture electromagnetic anomalies caused by geological activities and human activities, thunderstorms and lightning activities in the atmosphere, and effectively enhance China’s early perception, risk assessment, and monitoring and early warning capabilities for major natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activities, and thunderstorms, provide data support for industries such as emergency management, resource mapping, and communication and navigation, and help build scientific and technological cooperation in related fields among countries along the Belt and Road.
“Zhangheng-1” 01 was launched in 2018 and is currently operating normally in orbit. “Zhangheng-1” 02 inherits the technical status of “Zhangheng-1” 01, optimizes the payload configuration, and detects more abundant physical quantities. The two satellites conduct coordinated observations at different phases in the same orbital plane, which can effectively improve the temporal and spatial resolution of the observations and more fully meet the application needs of the satellites.
The China National Space Administration is responsible for the organization and management of the electromagnetic monitoring satellite project, the organization and coordination of major matters, and the approval of launch licenses; the Ministry of Emergency Management is the lead user department, the National Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Research Institute is responsible for the application system; the China Resources Satellite Application Center and the Space Information Innovation Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are responsible for the ground system; the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Space Technology Research Institute Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite Co., Ltd. and the Shanghai Academy of Space Technology are responsible for the overall development of the satellite system and the launch vehicle system respectively.
This mission is the 581st launch of the Long March series of launch vehicles.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
