At early Afternoon 13th August 2025 14:35-15:01 (Beijing time) Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, the Long March 5B Yao-8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China., On the Afternoon the “Long March 5B” Yao-8 carrier rocket and satellites assembly were successfully from launch Workstation 101 tower on a mobile launch platform… Successfully Deploying the Satellite Assembly to it’ s Predetermine Orbit.
Mission significance :
StarNet low-orbit 08 satellites (08A-J ) Accelerate the networking of China’s satellite internet constellation (similar to “Starlink”) and seize low-orbit orbit resources. Before reusable rockets matured, the Long March 5B carried out the core networking mission with a low-Earth orbit transport capacity of over 22 tons per trip This is the second launch of the Long March 5B in 2025 and the seventh launch in total …
Core technical features of the Long March 5B
“One and a half stages” configuration :”
Eliminate the second stage of the core and directly launch the core stage + booster into orbit, reducing the separation link and improving reliability;
With a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity exceeding 22 tons , it is the strongest in service in China.
Oversized fairing :
It is 20.5 meters long, 5.2 meters in diameter, and has a volume of 345 cubic meters. It can accommodate large modules (such as space station experimental modules) or batches of satellites.
Precise control capabilities :
Achieve “zero-window launch” (error ≤ 1 second) to meet the requirements of space station rendezvous and docking;
Grid rudder technology is used to control the debris landing area and improve safety
At morning 8th August 2025 Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, the Long March 5B Yao-8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China., On the morning the “Long March 5B” Yao-8 carrier rocket and satellites assembly were vertically transferred from the vertical assembly and test plant to the launch tower on a mobile launch platform, transferred to the launch area and the launch mission preparations entered the final stage…
The Long March 5B Yao-8 carrier rocket’s satellite-rocket combination undergoing vertical transport…. The Long March 5B rocket stands 53.657 meters tall, with a core stage diameter of 5 meters and a booster diameter of 3.35 meters. It is equipped with a large fairing with a diameter of 5.2 meters and a length of 20.5 meters. Its takeoff mass is approximately 849 tons, and its takeoff thrust is approximately 1,074 tons. With a perigee of 200 kilometers, an apogee of 400 kilometers, and an inclination of 19.5 degrees, the rocket has a capacity of over 25 tons to a low-Earth orbit (LEO). Within Asia, the Long March 5B is the most powerful low-Earth-carrying rocket currently in service. Furthermore, the Long March 5B is equipped with one of the largest fairings in service worldwide.
The mission’s banner slogan reads “Building a Chinese Constellation, Helping Space Dreams Come True.” The mission payload will still be a low-orbit satellite forming part of China StarNet.
The Long March 5B/CZ-5B (LM-5B/CZ-5B) is a large, cryogenic, liquid-fueled carrier rocket with a one-and-a-half-stage configuration, consisting of a core stage and four boosters bundled together. Developed based on the Long March 5 series’ foundational rocket, the LM-5, it removes the core stage and incorporates adaptive improvements for low-Earth orbit launches.
The Long March 5B rocket is 53.657 meters high, with a core stage diameter of 5 meters and a booster diameter of 3.35 meters. It is equipped with a large fairing with an external diameter of 5.2 meters and a length of 20.5 meters. The takeoff mass is about 849 tons and the takeoff thrust is about 1074 tons. The rocket has a low-Earth orbit (LEO) carrying capacity of more than 25 tons with a perigee of 200 kilometers, an apogee of 400 kilometers and an inclination of 19.5 degrees.
With the advancement of aerospace technology, the growth of application demand and the discovery of strategic value, countries around the world have planned large or even giant Earth-orbit satellite constellations with a large number of satellites, mainly low-orbit satellite constellations, involving communications, navigation, remote sensing, and computing (computing power). The number of satellites planned to be launched is in the hundreds of thousands, which has put higher requirements on the launch services of carrier rockets.
Faced with the huge number of planned satellite launches, the launch vehicle needs to have the characteristics of “large capacity, low cost, and high frequency” so that the constellation networking can be completed at an acceptable cost within a limited time. This is especially true for giant constellations.
Globally, the first launch vehicle that meets the characteristics of “large capacity, low cost, and high frequency” is the Falcon 9. As a large launch vehicle, it has a low-Earth orbit capacity of 22 tons and achieves the goal of “low cost and high frequency” through reuse.
Currently, China’s giant constellations, Qianfan and China Starnet, have both entered the networking phase. Each includes tens of thousands of satellites, creating a massive demand for launch services that China’s current rockets are unable to meet. Until reusable launch vehicles enter service, the Long March 5B, with its high capacity, will be able to partially address the urgent need for China’s mega-constellation networking.
Prior to this mission, the Long March 5B had carried out six launch missions, the first four of which were for manned space programs and the last two for China Star Network. This mission marks the third time the Long March 5B has carried out a China Star Network launch mission, and will continue to be paired with the Yuan Zheng 2 upper stage to deliver satellites directly into orbit.
It is expected that at around 2:00 pm Beijing time on August 13, 2025, at the 101 workstation of the Wenchang Space Launch Center, the Long March 5B Yao-8 carrier rocket will carry out a launch mission, planning to send the satellite on board into polar orbit (PO).
This mission will be the second launch of the Long March 5B carrier rocket in 2025 and the seventh launch of the Long March 5B rocket in total.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
