Tag: China
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China launches Communication Technology Test Satellite-27A/B aboard modified Long March-6 rocket
China successfully launched the Communication Technology Test Satellite-27A/B into orbit at 9:00 a.m. (Beijing Time) on July 30, 2026, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province. The satellites were launched aboard a modified Long March-6 carrier rocket and entered their planned orbits successfully, marking the successful completion of the mission. The…
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China launches Tianlian III-01 data relay satellite aboard Long March-7A rocket
China sent a new data relay satellite into orbit on July 29, 2026, from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan. The Tianlian III-01 satellite was launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-7A carrier rocket. The satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. Tianlian III-01…
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Classified NRO Payload and Chinese Triple-Header Fill a Busy Launch Week
The week opens with a concentrated block of Chinese activity on July 29, followed by the NRO mission on July 30. Two of the three Chinese launches carry undisclosed payloads, and the NRO flight is classified, leaving much of the week’s activity opaque as to purpose. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation plans to…
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China launches Tianlian II-06 data relay satellite
China successfully sent a new data relay satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on July 23, 2026. The Tianlian II-06 satellite was launched at 8 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit. Tianlian II-06 is primarily used to provide data…
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Lightning Hit Long March-3B 30 Seconds After Liftoff
Did the Long March-3B Survive a Lightning Strike at Liftoff? A Long March-3B rocket absorbed a lightning strike approximately 30 seconds after liftoff from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center on July 23, 2026 — and still delivered its payload to geostationary orbit (GEO) as planned. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the…
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Orienspace Gravity-1 Third Flight Delivers 9 Sats from Shanghai
Did Orienspace’s Third Gravity-1 Mission Succeed? Yes. Orienspace’s third Gravity-1 solid rocket successfully delivered nine satellites to low Earth orbit at 10:54 p.m. Eastern on July 21 (0254 UTC, July 22), lifting off from a launch service ship in the East China Sea near Shanghai. The mission marked Orienspace’s first long-range sea launch — a…
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Saudi Arabia Launches 142 Sustainable Investment Opportunities: Satellite Remote Sensing Advances Ecological Monitoring
On July 3, 2026, Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), in cooperation with the Federation of Saudi Chambers, announced 142 sustainable investment opportunities across the Kingdom. Covering more than 60 million square meters, the opportunities have investment periods ranging from five to 25 years and include potential projects in…
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Shijian-31 Sweeps GEO in an Orbit Never Seen Before
Is China’s Shijian-31 the First Satellite Designed to Surveil the Entire GEO Belt? A 50 meters-per-second retrograde burn at perigee is all that separates China’s Shijian-31 from passing directly through geostationary orbit (GEO) — the orbital band hosting the world’s most strategically valuable communications, missile warning, and intelligence satellites. Launched June 16, 2026 on a…
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After the China-Saudi Space Agreement: Satellite Data Is Turning Into Real Savings
On July 13, 2026, China National Space Administration (CNSA) Administrator Shan Zhongde met in Beijing with Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Space Agency. The two sides discussed cooperation across deep space exploration, space debris mitigation, and communications satellites under a bilateral space…
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Epic Milestone: The World’s First Offshore Net-Based Rocket Recovery — A Comprehensive Analysis of the Long March 10B and Related Companies
On July 10, 2026, the Long March 10B achieved a historic breakthrough by completing China’s first recovery of a rocket first stage, making China the second country in the world—after the United States—to recover a reusable rocket. According to China Central Television, the Long March 10B carrier rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch…