Watch the Launch

Additional Media

China launches first space telescope to study Milky Way mysteries

China launched on Thursday its first space telescope – Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) – with the aim of studying celestial sources of X-rays in the Milky Way among other strange space phenomen...

Huiyan (HXMT (Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope))

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Astrophysics

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) is a Chinese X-ray space observatory. This will be China's first astronomy satellite, and it is tasked with observation of black holes, neutron stars and other phenomena based on their X-ray and gamma ray emissions.

Long March 4B

Family:
Configuration: B

The Long March 4B (Chinese: 长征四号乙火箭), also known as the Chang Zheng 4B, CZ-4B and LM-4B is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Launched from Launch Complex 1 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, it is a 3-stage rocket, used mostly to place satellites into low Earth and sun synchronous orbits.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    44.1 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    249.0 T
  • Thrust
    2961.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 4B
  • Family
  • Variant
    B
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 4B
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    4200.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    1500.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 570 Failures: 15 Pending: 12

Agency Type:

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603)


Falcon 9
In Flight
47 minutes ago
Starlink Group 17-14
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
1 hour, 1 minute ago
Kakushin Rising (JAXA Rideshare)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

JAXA-manifested rideshare of eight separate spacecraft that includes educational small sats, an ocean monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite…


Electron
Success
1 day, 2 hours ago
Bubbles
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 21 hours ago
GPS III SV10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Tenth of ten GPS III missions.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-22
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


New Glenn
Failure
3 days, 16 hours ago
BlueBird Block 2 #2
Launch Complex 36A - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird Block 1 satellites, requi…


Long March 4C
Success
6 days ago
Daqi-2 (AEMS)
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Daqi-2 (DQ-2), also known as the Atmospheric Environment Monitoring Satellite/AEMS, is the second of follow-on series of Chinese satellites to the GF…


Soyuz 2.1b/Volga
Success
6 days, 4 hours ago
Kosmos (Unknown Payload)
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Unknown satellite(s) for the Russian military.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 17-27
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 10-24
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.