Tag: Long March
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Long March 4B lofts Yaogan-21 in surprise launch
The Chinese have conducted another surprise launch, this time with the Long March 4B rocket reported to have lofted a new satellite in the Yaogan Weixing series. The Yaogan-21 satellite was launched at 03:22 UTC on Monday from the LC9 launch complex at the Taiyuan satellite Launch Center. Chinese Launch: As usual for this type of…
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Chinese Long March 2D lofts satellite duo
The Chinese have launched a Long March 2D rocket on Thursday morning, lofting the Chuangxin 1-04 and the experimental Ling Qiao satellites into orbit. Launch occurred at 00:15 UTC from the LC43/603 launch complex of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. As is the growing tradition with launches out of China, little information was released about the mission.…
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Chinese Long March 4B launches Gaofen-2 and BRITE-PL-2
China’s return to launch action continued with the Tuesday launch of a new high-resolution observation satellite. The Gaofen-2 (GF-2) was launched at 03:15 UTC by a Long March-4B (Chang Zheng-4B) rocket from the LC9 launch complex of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Also on board was the Polish satellite BRITE-PL-2, also known as “Heweliusz”. Gaofen…
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China returns to action with Yaogan Weixing-20 mission
Closing a four month gap since the previous orbital launch, China successfully launched the Yaogan Weixing-20 mission from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Launch took place on Saturday at 05:45 UTC from the 603 launch pad of the LC43 launch complex using a Long March-4C (Chang Zheng-4C) launch vehicle. Chinese Launch: The Yaogan Weixing-20 mission…
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China opens 2014 campaign with secretive satellite launch
The Chinese finally opened their 2014 campaign with the launch of a Shijian-11 class satellite. A Chang Zheng 2C (Long March 2C) rocket lofted a mysterious satellite – understood to be part of the Shijian-11 series of early warning satellites – from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center’s 603 launch pad at the LC43 launch complex at 02:46 UTC. Chinese Launch: This…
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Brazil’s CBERS-3 spacecraft lost following Chinese failure
A Chinese Long March 4B launched the CBERS-3 satellite at 03:26 UTC on Monday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. However, despite initial news of a launch success, the Chinese media are now claiming the launch vehicle suffered a problem during ascent, failed to insert the satellite into its required orbit, leading to the satellite being…
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Chang’e-3: Chinese lunar rover heading to the Moon
The Chinese have begun their most ambitious lunar mission to date, following the successful launch their Long March 3B rocket carrying the Chang’e-3 probe and Yutu lunar rover. Launch was on schedule at 17:30 UTC on Sunday, taking place from the LC2 Launch Complex at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Chinese Moon Mission: The Chang’e-3 mission…
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Chinese Long March 2D launches Shiyan Weixing-5
The Chinese were back in action again on Monday, launching the Shiyan Weixing-5 (SW-5) satellite via their Long March 2D rocket. Launch occurred at 02:12 UTC from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Chinese Launch: As previous launches from China, little information was released about this mission. SW-5 uses the CAST-100 satellite platform and is possibly…
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Long March 4C launches Yaogan Weixing-19
Another “secret” Chinese launch took place on Wednesday, when a Long March 4C orbited the Yaogan Weixing-19 satellite. Launch took place at 03:31 UTC from the LC9 launch complex of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC). Chinese Launch: As per usual, the Chinese media refer to the satellite as a new remote sensing bird that will…
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Chinese Long March 2C lofts Yaogan Weixing-18 satellite
The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted yet another secretive launch on Tuesday morning (local time), when a Long March-2C orbited the Yaogan Weixing-18 satellite. Launch took place at 02:50 GMT from its LC9 Launch Complex, marking the second orbital Chinese launch in four days. Chinese Launch: As per usual, the Chinese media refer to the…