BEIJING, September 7. /TASS/. China has successfully launched the third group of remote sensing satellites Yaogan-40 into orbit, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The CASC page on the WeChat social network says the launch was carried out at 00:34 a.m. Beijing time (7:34 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday) from the Taiyuan cosmodrome (northern Shanxi province). The spacecraft were launched into orbit by the CZ-6A rocket. This is the 593rd launch for the Long March rocket family.
The Yaogan-40 satellites will be used to study the electromagnetic environment and conduct experiments related to it.
The modified two-stage CZ-6A is 50 meters long and runs on environmentally friendly fuel - a mixture of kerosene and liquid oxygen. The rocket was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology in cooperation with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, is equipped with four solid-fuel boosters and is capable of launching at least 6.5 tons of payload into a solar synchronous orbit (500 km). Unlike the CZ-6, it has an elongated first stage, the diameter of which is the same as that of the second (3.35 m). This is the 31st mission for the carriers of this type and the eighth this year.
Beijing is actively developing the national space program, developing meteorological, telecommunication and navigation satellites and technologies designed to explore the moon. With the support of the state, Chinese specialists are implementing asteroid and Mars exploration projects. There is a Chinese space station in orbit, which is also intended for international cooperation. In 2024, China carried out 68 launches.