Tag: Chang Zheng 6A
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Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese rockets to launch internet satellites to LEO
SpaceX and Chinese launches dominate this week’s launch manifest, which features six missions from five launch sites worldwide. Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch three Starlink missions from SpaceX’s California and Florida launch facilities. In China, a Chang Zheng 12B flew on its debut mission on Monday, with a Chang Zheng 8 and Chang Zheng…
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Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese missions fill busy launch manifest
The week of May 11 brings nine launches across the United States and China, spanning government and commercial operators on both sides of the Pacific. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 accounts for four missions: a Cargo Dragon resupply flight to the International Space Station, a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload from Vandenberg, a Starlink mission, and a…
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Launch Roundup: China, Russia, Rocket Lab, ULA join SpaceX in flying this week
The upcoming launch week, starting on Monday, Dec. 8, is a very busy one as 2025 enters its final stretch. At least six Chinese launches are planned from four different space centers across the country, while Russia expects to launch twice, once from Plesetsk and another from Baikonur. The United Launch Alliance is planning to…
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Surge in static fires as China’s space sector gains momentum
As China’s launch cadence continues to accelerate, so too has the pace of engine testing in recent weeks. A growing number of commercial launch providers are edging closer to the maiden flights of new vehicles — several of which are still on track to debut before the end of the year. Meanwhile, taikonauts aboard the…
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Launch Roundup: Europa Clipper launches, Starlink launches return
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent decision to clear SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for a return to all flights paved the way for a busy week of launches. Before Falcon 9 returned to flying regular Starlink missions, though, a Falcon Heavy launch with NASA’s Europa Clipper mission started the week off. Following Europa Clipper’s launch, SpaceX…
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Launch Roundup: Second half of 2024 begins with more launches from front runners US & China
Moving into the second half of 2024, the first week of July began with the third launch of the Japanese H3 rocket in the early hours of Monday morning UTC—covered in our previous launch roundup. The week ahead continued with one Starlink mission from SpaceX, pushing the number of Starlink satellites launched to over 6,700.…
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China Roundup: ZhuQue-3 moves left, Tianlong-3 gets engines, and Chang Zheng rockets launch
China’s upcoming and already operational startup aerospace companies are showing significant progress as of late. Both Tianlong-3 and ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) are getting closer to flight, while governmental rockets currently carry the payloads. Additionally, three more rockets of the Chang Zheng family have been launched in the last few weeks. LandSpace progresses ZhuQue-3 and moves maiden…
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China launches commercial rocket from the Yellow Sea
China is maintaining its impressive launch cadence in 2023 with five more launches in the past few weeks. These include a barge launch from the Gushenxing-1S rocket and multiple launches of Yaogan satellites. Jilin-1 Kuangfu 02A – Gushenxing-1 On Friday, Aug. 25 at 05:59 UTC, a Gushenxing-1 rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center…
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China launches two times in four hours and brings cargo to the TSS
China successfully launched the Tianzhou-5 mission to the Tiangong Space Station for cargo resupply. The mission launched at 02:03 UTC on Friday, Nov. 11 on a Chang Zheng 7 (Long March 7 in English) and docked at the Tiangong Space Station (TSS) at 04:10 UTC. The launch was conducted from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center,…
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China debuts Chang Zheng 6A, teases more variants
China successfully debuted one of its new generation vehicles on Tuesday when the Chang Zheng 6A successfully lifted off at 09:50 UTC (5:50 am EDT) from a brand new launch pad at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC). The rocket lifted the Pujiang-2 satellite and the Tiankun-2 payload to a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). This is…