At 0746 Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time 2nd July 2026 , 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, Long March 4B Successfully Launches Haiyang-2E Satellite
At 7:46 AM on July 2nd, the Long March 4B carrier rocket ignited and lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending the Haiyang-2E satellite into its predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.
The Haiyang-2E satellite was developed by the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and will be primarily used for safeguarding maritime rights, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine resource development, and marine scientific research.
The Long March 4B rocket, which carried out this launch mission, is a three-stage, room-temperature liquid-propellant carrier rocket developed by the Eighth Academy of CASC.
This launch was the 654th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets. (
Photo: Shi Yue, Remote Sensing Satellite Department, Fifth Academy)
At 7:46 a.m. on July 2, 2026, the Long March 4B carrier rocket successfully sent the Haiyang-2E satellite into its predetermined orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. This was the 654th flight of the Long March series rockets. The satellite will replace Haiyang-2B and form a network with Haiyang-2C and Haiyang-2D satellites to continuously provide high-precision marine dynamic environment data.
. Core Facts
1. Launch Overview
- Time: 07:46 on July 2, 2026
- Location: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center23
- Launch vehicle: Long March 4B (room-temperature liquid three-stage launch vehicle)3
- Satellite: Haiyang-2E satellite, developed under the overall leadership of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
- Result: The satellite successfully entered its predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success.12
- This was the first time the rocket used a parallel fueling mode under high-temperature conditions.
2. Rocket and Satellite Parameters
| project | Specific content |
| rocket model | Long March 4B (CZ-4B) |
| rocket development unit | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Eighth Academy |
| rocket carrying capacity | 700 km sun-synchronous orbit, 2.5 tons |
| Satellite development unit | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) |
| Satellite main payload | Radar altimeter, microwave scatterometer, microwave radiometer, calibrated radiometer |
3. Task Statistics
- The 118th launch of the Long March 4 series rocket
- The 654th flight of the Long March series carrier rocket
- China’s 45th space launch in 2026 (as of July 2)
II. Direct Cause
1. Replacing satellites that have exceeded their service life
The Haiyang-2E satellite will replace the Haiyang-2B satellite, which was launched in 2018 and has exceeded its orbital lifespan, to maintain the continuous and stable operation of marine dynamic environment monitoring services.
2. Networking enhances observation capabilities
- E satellite, together with the already orbiting Haiyang-2C and Haiyang-2D satellites, forms a four-satellite constellation for marine dynamic environment satellites.
- Significantly reduce the revisit cycle of global ocean data, achieving an upgrade from “occasional monitoring” to “24/7 operational operation”
3. Improve the accuracy of near-shore observations
The satellite’s payload has been upgraded to significantly enhance its observation capabilities in nearshore waters, serving areas such as safeguarding maritime rights, disaster prevention and mitigation, and resource development
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration
