At 1121 Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time 25th August 2026 , China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration At 11:21 AM on August 25th, the Long March 6C carrier rocket ignited and lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending seven satellites—Zhongke Satellite 14, Zhongke Satellite 15, Muduo 1A, Muduo 1B, Jing’an Dream Star, Bayi 04, and Yinhe Aerospace Lingzhi 09 Thailand CubeSat—into their predetermined orbits. The launch mission was a complete success.
The Long March 6C carrier rocket, developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is a new generation two-stage liquid-propellant carrier rocket capable of launching various types of satellites with different orbital requirements. It can perform single or multiple satellite launches, with a payload capacity of 2.4 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
This launch was the 665th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
At 11:21 a.m. on August 25, 2026, the Long March 6C Y1 carrier rocket was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, accurately sending seven satellites into their predetermined orbits in a “one rocket, seven satellites” manner. The maiden flight mission was a complete success, and this was also the 665th flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
I. Launch Mission Overview
- Launch time : 11:21 AM Beijing time on August 25, 2026.
- Launch site : Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
- Mission results : All seven satellites successfully entered their designated orbits, and the flight test mission was a complete success.
- Mission nature : This is the first public maiden flight of the Long March 6C carrier rocket, which successfully launched seven satellites in one go.
II. Composition of the Loading
- Seven satellites : Zhongke Satellite 14, Zhongke Satellite 15, Muduo 1A, Muduo 1B, Jing’an Dream Star, Bayi 04, and Yinhe Aerospace Lingzhi 09 Thailand CubeSat.12
- Coverage areas : encompassing multiple directions including Earth remote sensing, space scientific research, aerospace science popularization, commercial networking, and international cooperation.
- Highlight payloads : Zhongke Satellite 14 and 15 are the first two satellites in the integrated real-time remote sensing constellation of communication, sensing and computing. They are equipped with SAR payloads with imaging resolution better than 1 meter. After entering orbit, they will be connected to the “space cloud” ecosystem.
III. Double Milestone Significance
- Breakthrough in rocket design : The Long March 6C is a new generation of non-toxic and pollution-free two-stage liquid rocket with a payload capacity of 2.4 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. It supports flexible launches of single or multiple satellites and is a versatile asset in commercial spaceflight.
- Commercial Spaceflight Going Global : In this mission, GalaxySpace’s Lingzhi 09 CubeSat in Thailand marks the first time that China’s commercial spaceflight industry has completed the development, launch, and in-orbit delivery of a complete satellite to Southeast Asia, signifying a new stage for private commercial spaceflight companies to move from exporting components to exporting complete satellite
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration
