Long March 6C | Maiden Flight
Launch Successful
L - -- : -- : -- : --
Launch Window
May 7, 2024, 3:13 a.m. - May 7, 2024, 3:55 a.m.
May 7, 2024, 3:13 a.m. - May 7, 2024, 3:55 a.m.
Carried 4 Earth observation satellites to orbit: * Haiwangxing-01, 239 kg X-band SAR satellite built by SAST for Zhihui Space Tech * Zhixing-1C, X-band radar sat for Smart Satellite Technology * 2 unidentified optical Earth observation satellites
Launch success.
Adding launch per NOTAMs; Payload and launch vehicle identities extremely uncertain.
The Long March 6C is a Chinese launch vehicle of the Long March family, which was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). The vehicle is a further development of the Long March 6A, with its solid rocket boosters deleted, with 2 YF-100 engines on the first stage and 1 YF-115 engine on the second stage.
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
This week was expected to see the maiden launches of two new spacecraft: Boeing’s crewed Starliner spacecraft and the first Chang Zheng 6C rocket from China.
The new Long March 6C rocket successfully inserted four satellites into orbit late Monday on its debut flight.
Unknown satellite(s) for the Russian military.
A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
JAXA-manifested rideshare of eight separate spacecraft that includes educational small sats, an ocean monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite…
Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program, details TBD.
Tenth of ten GPS III missions.
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
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…
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…
Unknown satellite(s) for the Russian military.
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.