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Watch the Launch

Yaogan 41

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

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

Chinese reconnaissance satellite explicitly named in official news as a "high orbit optical remote sensing satellite". Satellite was found in standard geostationary transfer orbit after launch; other details TBD.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 15, 2023, 2:31 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 15, 2023, 1:47 p.m.

Liftoff confirmed.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 11, 2023, 9:42 a.m.

Refined launch window per new NOTAMs.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 10, 2023, 5:09 p.m.

Added launch per NOTAMs; Payload identity extremely 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: 602 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
SpaceNews

China launches large classified optical satellite towards geostationary orbit

China sent the classified Yaogan-41 satellite towards geostationary orbit Friday using the country’s largest rocket.

Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

101


Long March 12
Success
3 hours, 57 minutes ago
SatNet LEO Group 27
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.…


Nuri
Success
2 days, 19 hours ago
NeonSat-2 to 6
LC-2 - Naro Space Center, South Korea

NeonSat-2 to 6 are part of the South Korean government's Earth observation micro-satellite constellation NeonSat (New-space Earth Observation Satelli…


Falcon Heavy
Success
1 week ago
NROL-97
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Transporter 18 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Crew-13
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

SpaceX Crew-13 is the thirteenth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercia…


Starship
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14)
Orbital Launch Pad 2 - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

14th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. 3rd flight of Starship V3 and the first Starship flight to deploy satellites (a group of S…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
USSF-385
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

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


Electron
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
Owlright, Owlright, Owlright (StriX Launch 13)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Long March 6A
Success
2 weeks, 1 day 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
2 weeks, 2 days 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.…