Traffic VDES A & B

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Technology

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 95A Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Two technology demonstration satellites for satellite transmissions of signals for the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES), a successor to the current Automatic Identification System (AIS) on ships and maritime vessels for traffic management at sea with higher bandwidth on new frequencies for secure communications and e-navigation. This project is a joint effort by the China Ministry of Transport's China Transport Telecommunications Information Center and SpaceSail, operator of the Qianfan/G60 constellation.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 5, 2025, 12:18 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 4, 2025, 1:42 a.m.

Delayed to December 5 per new NOTAMs/marine navigation warnings.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 2, 2025, 9:48 p.m.

Added launch per NOTAMs/marine navigation warnings; Payload and launch vehicle identities highly uncertain.


Kuaizhou 1A

Family:
Configuration: 1A

Kuaizhou is a family of Chinese "quick-reaction" orbital launch vehicles. Flying since 2013, Kuaizhou 1 and 1A consist of three solid-fueled rocket stages, with a liquid-fueled fourth stage as part of the satellite system.

Specifications
  • Stages
    4
  • Length
    19.4 m
  • Diameter
    1.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    1.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    30.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Kuaizhou 1A
  • Family
  • Variant
    1A
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Kuaizhou 1A
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    300.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    250.0 kg

ExPace

ExPace

(EP)

CEO: Zhang Di Founded: 2016 Successes: 31 Failures: 4 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

ExPace is a Chinese space rocket company based in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of missileer China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), a Chinese state-owned company, and serves as its commercial rocket division. ExPace is focused on small satellite launchers to low Earth orbit.

WIKI
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Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 95A


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