At 1100 Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time on An early morning of 13th January 2025 , China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration CASC China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Successfully launched the New Next Generation ChinaRocket Co. LTD Smart Dragon – Jielong three Carrier Rocket Yao 5 carrier rocket at the in the waters near Haiyang, Shandong Province, the Smart Dragon Carrier rocket successfully launched from a sea borne mobile launch platform…..
the Jielong-3 carrier rocket developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology ignited and took off from the sea near Haiyang City, Shandong Province. The “one rocket, ten satellites” mode was used to successfully send the ten satellites of Micro-Space 01 group into the predetermined orbit using a one-rocket, ten-satellite method to send 10 satellites of the Microcentispace 01 group into a LEO orbit at an altitude of 650 kilometers and an inclination of 55 degrees. The launch mission was a success. This launch is the first sea launch in China this year, and it also marks the “good start” of China’s commercial space launch this year…
The 10 satellites of the MicrocentiSpace 01 group were developed by Beijing Future Navigation Technology Co., Ltd. Among them, the C0001~C0002 satellites were integrated as a whole by Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite Co., Ltd. of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The satellites inherited the technical status of the S5 and S6 test satellites developed by Shenzhen Dongfanghong. The construction of the networking satellite constellation system was carried out on the basis of the test satellite’s completion of the full functional status verification of the leading technology, platform and payload.
The other eight satellites were jointly developed by Harbin Institute of Technology and Harbin Institute of Technology Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. They inherited the technical status of the S4 experimental satellite and innovatively adopted a stacked design to achieve decoupling assembly of cabins, making them suitable for mass production of satellites.
The Microcentispace Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Navigation Augmentation System is developed and operated by Future Navigation Technology Co., Ltd. It is a space-ground integrated constellation system consisting of 160 low-orbit satellites and ground systems, which can provide low-cost, highly reliable centimeter-level high-precision positioning commercial services to global users in real time. This mission is the first networking launch of the Microcentispace constellation.
Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) is a medium-sized solid-propellant carrier rocket developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and invested by China Rocket Company under the First Academy. It adopts a four-stage tandem configuration, and the main power all uses solid propellant engines developed by the Fourth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology. The rocket is 31.8 meters long, with a diameter of 2.65 meters for the first and second stages, 2 meters for the third stage, and 1.2 meters for the fourth stage. It can be equipped with a 2.9-meter diameter and a 3.35-meter diameter fairing. It has a takeoff mass of 140 tons and a takeoff thrust of 200 tons. It is launched from the sea. Its capacity for a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is about 1.5 tons, and its capacity for a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit is about 1.3 tons. This rocket is equipped with a 3.35-meter diameter fairing.
This mission has further enhanced the rocket’s carrying capacity through overall optimization and solid engine performance improvement. It is the mission with the largest payload mass among all previous missions, reaching 1.6 tons.
At the same time, this mission is the first low-inclination orbit launch in the coastal waters of Haiyang, Shandong. The flight area and landing area are safe, which saves the cost of sea voyage, shortens the technical preparation time, improves the economy of the mission, and provides users with a more cost-effective launch service. In addition, this mission also effectively verifies the rocket’s adaptability to the severe cold at sea and the harsh natural environment of high-altitude winds in winter.
This launch mission is the first launch of the Jielong-3 carrier rocket in 2025, the first launch in the Yellow Sea, the second launch in China, and the seventh orbital space launch in the world. At the same time, this mission is also the world’s first solid rocket launch of the year and the world’s first offshore space launch.
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