Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

TJSW-23

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Overview

Destination: Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Geostationary Transfer Orbit 101 Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 20, 2025, 1:15 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 20, 2025, 1:02 p.m.

Liftoff.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 18, 2025, 3:19 a.m.

Refined launch window per new NOTAMs.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 15, 2025, 3:43 a.m.

Added launch per NOTAMs; Payload identity highly uncertain.


Long March 5

Family:
Configuration:

Long March 5 is a Chinese heavy lift launch system developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). CZ-5 is the first Chinese vehicle designed from the ground up to focus on non-hypergolic liquid rocket propellants. Currently, two CZ-5 vehicle configurations are planned, with maximum payload capacities of ~25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb) to LEO and ~14,000 kilograms (31,000 lb) to GTO. The Long March 5 roughly matches the capabilities of American EELV heavy-class vehicles such as the Delta IV Heavy.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    57.0 m
  • Diameter
    5.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    ―
  • Launch Mass
    867.0 T
  • Thrust
    10600.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 5
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    ―
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Long March 5
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    ―
  • Low Earth Orbit
    25000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    14000.0 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: 601 Failures: 16 Pending: 7

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
NASASpaceflight

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Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

101


Long March 6A
Success
15 hours, 8 minutes ago
Yaogan 40 Group 04
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing".


Long March 8A
Success
1 day, 10 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 26
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Kinetica 1
Success
4 days, 19 hours ago
9 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 9 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 22 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-27
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2D
Success
5 days, 13 hours ago
PIESAT-2 13-16
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the Chinese Earth observation satellite company PIESAT.


Electron
Success
5 days, 20 hours ago
Owl By The Dozen (StriX Launch 12)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week ago
Glonass-K1 No. 20 (?)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Satellite serial number and Cosmos designation not confirmed. Glonass-K are the third generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite n…


Kuaizhou 11
Success
1 week ago
SpaceTY-51 & 52
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

2 Earth observation radar satellites built by the Chinese satellite manufacturer SpaceTY.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
USSF-259
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

USSF-259 is a classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield …


Long March 12
Success
1 week ago
SatNet LEO Group 25
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…