HELSINKI — A Long March rocket launch sent four satellites into orbit late Friday to provide commercial X-band radar imaging services.
A Long March 2C rocket lifted off at 10:39 p.m. Eastern Nov. 8 (0339 UTC, Nov. 9) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Insulation tiles fell away from the rocket as it climbed into clear blue skies. The announcement of launch success that followed revealed the payloads to be the PIESAT-2 (Hongtu-2) 01-04 radar satellites.
The satellites are described as being mainly used for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging with high-resolution capabilities. The satellites will focus on serving domestic areas, taking into account the Belt and Road Initiative, and achieving global coverage. U.S. Space Force space tracking cataloged the four satellites in roughly 515 by 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbits.
The satellites are owned by Zhuzhou Space Interstellar Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., and were developed by small satellite company Shanghai Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., controlled by the state-owned Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).
Zhuzhou Space Interstellar Satellite Technology plans a 16-satellite-strong constellation of radar satellites, to be completed in March 2025 with two further launches. Four PIESAT-1 satellites, in a wheel-like formation, were launched in March 2023.
The constellation is one of a number of Chinese commercial radar constellations being developed in the last few years. A number of companies and projects are seeking to provide SAR data, notably through partnerships between established state-owned actors and new commercial players.
SAR imaging allows high-resolution, all-weather imaging capabilities, making it useful for applications in various environmental and infrastructure monitoring tasks.
Friday’s launch was carried out by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), of which SAST is a subsidiary. It was facilitated by CASC’s China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), a commercial organization authorized by the Chinese government to engage in commercial launch services and space cooperation.
The launch was China’s 53rd orbital launch of 2024. The country had earlier outlined plans for around 100 launches across the year. Both state-owned CASC and commercial launch service providers appear to be significantly behind this projected launch rate.
Upcoming launches include the Tianzhou cargo resupply mission to the Tiangong space station. The mission will launch on a Long March 7 rocket from the coastal Wenchang spaceport. CAS Space is also preparing a launch of its Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) solid rocket from Jiuquan.
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