As the nation advances its large constellation projects, China launched a group of satellites early Thursday that were probably meant to test intersatellite laser links.
At 2:17 a.m. Eastern (0717 UTC) on December 12, a Long March 2D rocket with a Yuanzheng-3 restartable upper stage blasted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Driven by a hypergolic propellant mix, the rocket shed insulation panels as it rose into the blue skies above the spaceport.
After the YZ-3 upper stage deployed all payloads into predetermined orbits through a series of burns, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) verified launch success a few hours after liftoff.
The payloads were identified as five satellites that make up the “high-speed laser Diamond Constellation test system” by CASC, the nation’s primary space contractor and state-owned defence behemoth.
The satellites’ classification implies an emphasis on testing inter-satellite laser communication links, even though CASC did not go into detail about their specs.
Five launch-related payloads were monitored by US space domain awareness in three different orbits. One satellite has an orbital size of 988 × 1,160 kilometres, another is 791 x 812 kilometres, while the remaining three are approximately 975 x 990 kilometres. Every orbit has a 59.9-degree tilt.
The national Guowang constellation, Shanghai-backed Qianfan/Thousand Sails constellation, and China’s megaconstellation projects would all benefit greatly from intersatellite laser link capabilities. China’s poor coverage of ground stations worldwide, which is seen in its reliance on onboard space situational awareness capabilities, may be lessened by intersatellite laser links.
Space-to-ground laser communications were demonstrated in 2023 by Changguang Satellite, a commercial remote sensing offshoot from the China Academy of Sciences.
The YZ-3 upper stage, which was intended for use with the Long March 2D, was launched for the fourth time. Under CASC, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) supplied the rocket.
Earlier this year, during the Long March 2C rocket launch of the DRO-A and DRO-B lunar satellites, an upper stage of the Yuanzheng-1A failed. However, months later, the satellites employed onboard propulsion to arrive at their targeted lunar far retrograde orbits.
An malfunction with a Long March 3B third stage caused the loss of a commercial Indonesian communications satellite in 2020, more than 200 launches ago, marking the final Long March rocket failure.
China attempted its 63rd orbital launch of 2024 on Thursday. With a succession of Long March and possible commercial solid rocket launches planned for mid and late December, the nation could break its national record of 67 attempts set last year.
The first Guowang megaconstellation satellites may be launched from Wenchang on December 16 by a Long March 5B rocket. The new commercial space launch centre in Hainan might possibly be used to launch a Long March 8 rocket. The Long March 12, the first Chinese single-stick medium-lift launch vehicle created by SAST, made its first flight at the new spaceport on November 30.
