{"id":24884,"date":"2021-08-24T19:34:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T11:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/china-launches-chang-zheng-3b-for-seventh-tjsw-mission\/"},"modified":"2021-08-24T19:34:59","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T11:34:59","slug":"china-launches-chang-zheng-3b-for-seventh-tjsw-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/china-launches-chang-zheng-3b-for-seventh-tjsw-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"China launches Chang Zheng 3B for seventh TJSW mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At 15:41 UTC on August 24, a Chang Zheng 3B (internationally known as Long March 3B) successfully lifted off from LC-3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China.<\/p>\n<p>It is believed the launch vehicle carried the seventh Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing (TJSW-7) satellite to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The nature of TJSW satellites is not fully confirmed; however, official Chinese media outlines their purpose as \u201csatellite communications, radio and television, data transmission and other services, and \u2026 related technical test verification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More specifically, it is thought the TJSW series are used for Chinese military purposes, with this seventh spacecraft of the series publicly referred to by China as a \u201ccommunication technology test satellite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>TJSW-7 was manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). While officially for \u201ccommunication testing,\u201d based on SAST and their TJSW history, it is likely the TJSW-7 spacecraft is of the Huoyan-1 series \u2014 military satellites that are thought to be part of an early-warning missile detection system for China, in similar nature to the United States\u2019 Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS).<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=TerminalCount&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1430200028476452870&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2021%2F08%2Ftjsw-7-launch%2F&amp;sessionId=17ea1979ec34febf36ef3b3b8f27b6ea0f95c2a5&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-20=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1430200028476452870\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783496740855221197=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">El segundo lanzamiento de China de hoy se confirma. El cohete Long March 3B\/E despeg\u00f3 desde el centro de lanzamiento de sat\u00e9lites de Xhichang sobre la hora programada.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"emoji\" alt=\"\ud83d\udcf7\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/svg\/1f4f7.svg\"> @hentailamb pic.twitter.com\/mPjuAfGw39<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Conexi\u00f3n Espacial (@conexionspacial) August 24, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Three SAST-built Huoyan-1 satellites are thought to have already been launched in the second, fifth, and sixth TJSW missions. SAST was also believed to have built the third mission\u2019s pair of satellites, though likely not of the Huoyan-1 type.<\/p>\n<p>Spaceflight history books<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Aerospace &amp; Defense<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>SpaceX<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>Thus, the remaining first and fourth missions of the series are believed to be of the Qianshao-3 series, military satellites made by the China Academy of Spaceflight Technology (CAST) for signals intelligence purposes that demonstrate multi-band, high-speed communication techniques.<\/p>\n<p>Since the first TJSW mission in September 2015, all flights have been secretive.<\/p>\n<p>Launch<\/p>\n<p>The Chang Zheng 3B (CZ-3B) for Tuesday\u2019s mission was publicly spotted on August 15 by a witness at the Xichang launch facility.<\/p>\n<p>Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) were released days after this sighting, confirming a launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on August 24.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=TerminalCount&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1426893320211501056&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2021%2F08%2Ftjsw-7-launch%2F&amp;sessionId=17ea1979ec34febf36ef3b3b8f27b6ea0f95c2a5&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-20=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1426893320211501056\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783496740855221197=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There is a CZ-3B loaded onto the pad of Xichang. Indicating a launch is coming. There also a launch at Jiuquan  in 17th. pic.twitter.com\/NCyi0HAlya<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ace of Razgriz (@raz_liu) August 15, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The launch occurred at 23:41 local time (15:41 UTC) with the launcher\u2019s four boosters and first stage igniting their collective eight engines to propel the vehicle into the night sky for what was declared a successful mission.<\/p>\n<p>The CZ-3B is a liquid-fuelled, medium-lift launch vehicle manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. It is heavily based on the successful Chang Zheng 3A (CZ-3A), with adaptations in the form of a 3B variant (four boosters) and a 3C variant (two boosters) to accommodate a wide range of payload capability.<\/p>\n<p>The CZ-3B, which TJSW-7 used, features three stages (and an optional fourth stage), including four boosters on the first stage, with the launcher being able to lift up to 11,200 kg to Low Earth Orbit and 5,100 kg to Geostationary Transfer Orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Enhanced versions of the 3B and 3C variants include lengthened boosters and first stage cores, designating the vehicle as CZ-3B\/E and CZ-3C\/E, respectively. This allows for a greater payload capacity over the base variant of the vehicles, and in the case of Tuesday\u2019s CZ-3B\/E, being able to loft an increased 5,500 kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit \u2013 the orbit this vehicle specializes in.<\/p>\n<p>The vehicle launched predominantly eastwards from Xichang as shown via a Google Maps trajectory.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-79837\" class=\"size-full wp-image-79837\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1328\" height=\"702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image2-1.png 1328w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image2-1-350x185.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image2-1-630x333.png 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image2-1-768x406.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image2-1-1170x618.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1328px) 100vw, 1328px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-79837\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The mission\u2019s launch trajectory and stage drop zones. (Credit: GoogleEarth)<\/p>\n<p>The four boosters each use the YF-25 engine, running off the hypergolic propellants of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4). Using the standard flight timeline of the CZ-3B, these are jettisoned from the first stage at approximately T+2 minutes 08 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the first stage and its four YF-21 engines, utilizing the same hypergolic propellants as the boosters, burn until 2 minutes 25 seconds before separating from the second stage.<\/p>\n<p>Both the boosters and first stage are lengthened by 0.8 meters and 1.5 meters, respectively, over the base CZ-3B, amounting to longer-duration burn times resulting in the aforementioned increased payload performance of the enhanced CZ-3B\/E variant.<\/p>\n<p>After first stage separation, the second stage ignites its single YF-22E main engine to burn until T+5 minutes 26 seconds with the stage\u2019s YF-23 vernier engine shutting down 15 seconds later. The stage uses hypergolic propellants.<\/p>\n<p>Fairing separation occurs during second stage flight at approximately 3 minutes 30 seconds after liftoff.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-59062\" class=\"size-full wp-image-59062\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-11-18-16_51_05-LaunchStuff-on-Twitter_-_Its-a-Beidou-launch-so-you-know-what-time-it-is-WHAT.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1130\" height=\"724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-11-18-16_51_05-LaunchStuff-on-Twitter_-_Its-a-Beidou-launch-so-you-know-what-time-it-is-WHAT.jpg 1130w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-11-18-16_51_05-LaunchStuff-on-Twitter_-_Its-a-Beidou-launch-so-you-know-what-time-it-is-WHAT-350x224.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-11-18-16_51_05-LaunchStuff-on-Twitter_-_Its-a-Beidou-launch-so-you-know-what-time-it-is-WHAT-546x350.jpg 546w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-11-18-16_51_05-LaunchStuff-on-Twitter_-_Its-a-Beidou-launch-so-you-know-what-time-it-is-WHAT-768x492.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1130px) 100vw, 1130px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-59062\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Chang Zheng 3B in flight \u2013 via Chinese media.<\/p>\n<p>After second stage shutdown and separation, the third stage ignites its two YF-75 engines, running off liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen \u2014 the only cryogenic stage of the vehicle. This stage burns for approximately 4 minutes 44 seconds to reach near-orbital parameters.<\/p>\n<p>A second burn to raise the perigee is conducted around T+21 minutes following a coast phase. As well as performing an orbital insertion, this 179-second burn then significantly raises the apogee to the parameters needed for a geosynchronous transfer.<\/p>\n<p>Spacecraft separation from the third stage occurs at approximately T+25 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s mission marked the ninth launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center this year. Situated in southwestern China, the launch facility has been operational since 1984 with three launch complexes \u2014 one of which never came to fruition.<\/p>\n<p>Specializing in geosynchronous and geostationary-bound missions, the complex handles a variety of civil and military payloads, utilizing the Cheng Zheng 2 and Cheng Zheng 3 series of vehicles.<\/p>\n<p><em>Lead image: A CZ-3B rocket launches the TJSW-6 mission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At 15:41 UTC on August 24, a Chang Zheng 3B (internationally known as Long March 3B) successfully lifted off from LC-3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China. It is believed the launch vehicle carried the seventh Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing (TJSW-7) satellite to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The nature of TJSW satellites is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[135,8105,8618,1741],"class_list":["post-24884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-china","tag-cz-3b","tag-tjsw","tag-xichang"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24884"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24884\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}