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China launched two orbital missions from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center within six hours of each other, orbiting a total of seven satellites. The launches, using mobile pads, saw two Kuaizhou-1A rockets heading into space on Saturday at 2:55 UTC and 8:52 UTC.
The first Kuaizhou-1A rocket, serial number Y2, orbited the Jilin-1 Gaofen-2B remote sensing satellite for the Jilin-1 constellation.
The Jilin-1 satellite constellation was developed on China’s Jilin Province and is the country’s first self-developed remote sensing satellite for commercial use. Data will be provided to commercial clients to help them forecast and mitigate geological disasters, as well as shorten the time scale for the exploration of natural resources.
The satellites were developed by the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd under the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The new satellite will be operational at an altitude of 535 km orbit and it can obtain a static push-scan image with a full-color resolution better than 0.76 meters and a multi-spectral resolution better than 3.1meters. Images width is greater than 40 km. The images are transmitted to the ground stations via a digital transmission with a rate of 1.8Gbps. The launch weight is 230 kg.
Jilin, one of the country’s oldest industrial bases, is developing its satellite industry in a new economic drive. The province plans to launch 60 satellites by 2020 and 137 by 2030.
The first phase saw the launch of the first four Jilin-1 satellites on October 7, 2015. Jilin-1 Optical-A, LQSat (Jilin-1 Smart Verification Satellite), Lingqiao-A and Lingqiao-B were launched by the Long March-2D (Y37) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The fifth satellite, Jilin-1 Video-03, was launched on January 9, 2017. This was a remote sensing satellite for high definition video able to acquire visible light video data for high-resolution Earth observation. The satellite was launched by the Kuaizhou-1A (Y1) launcher from Jiuquan.
On November 21, 2017, three more satellites for the Jilin-1 constellations were launched. The Jilin-1 Video-4, 5 and 6 were launched by the Long March-6 (Y2) launch vehicle from the LC16 Launch Complex of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The three satellites featured a dual-imager with a 1-meter ground resolution for gaze video imaging, push-broom imaging, shimmer imaging and inertial space imaging.
Two more satellites were launched on January 19, 2018. Designated Deqing-1 (Jilin-1 Video-7) and Jilin Linye-2 (Jilin-1 Video-8), the two satellites were launched by the Long March-11 (Y20011703/Y3) from Jiuquan and were similar to the previous Video satellites.
Two hyperspectral satellites ere launched on January 21, 2019. The Jilin Lincao-1 (Jilin-1 Hyperspectral-01) and Wenchang Chaosaun-1 (Jilin-1 Hyperspectral-02) featured a hyperspectral imager, providing a ground resolution of 5 meters and a swath width of 150 km in 26 spectral bands. The satellites were launched by the Long March-11 (Y20011806/Y6) rocket from JIuquan.
Jilin-1 Gaofen-3A was launched on June 5, 2019, onboard the Long March-11H from the Yellow Sea. The satellite was equipped with a lightweight imaging system with a resolution of 1 meter, an image swath of 17 km.
The original plan was to have 16 satellites in orbit until the end of 2019, completing a remote sensing network that will cover the entire globe and will be capable of a three to four hours update in the data provided. From 2020, the plans point to a 60 satellite orbital constellation capable of a 30 minutes update in the data provided.
From 2030 the Jilin constellation will have 138 satellites in orbit, forming an all-day, all-weather, full-spectrum acquisition segment data and a capability of observing any global arbitrary point with a 10 minute revisit capability, providing the world’s highest spatial resolution and time resolution space information products.
Second launch from Taiyuan on December 7
Six hours after the first launch, and as was expected by the navigational warnings previously published, a second Kuaizhou-1A launch vehicle, serial number Y12, had already been displaced to the launch site, but from a different pad. Analysis of the images available from the second launch seems to indicate that launch took place from a location within the Launch Complex 16 usually used for the Long March-6 launches. Ignition came at 8:52UTC.
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The three-stage launch vehicle orbited six satellites.
The HEAD-2A and HEAD-2B satellites are part of the “Skywalker” constellation that will be composed of 48 satellites with different buses to be deployed in SSO / LEO orbits. Used for different applications and with multiple sensor capabilities, the satellites are part of a modern ICT infrastructure for data processing, machine learning, automation and data access, to provide secure end-to-end data environment (from space to end-user). The program is based on international collaboration for frequency allocation, ground segment, data distribution, market exploration, etc.
HEAD Aerospace (HEAD) is a private company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Beijing, China, with subsidiaries in Hong Kong, the Netherlands and France, and joint laboratories located in Switzerland and Italy. The satellite was possibly developed by SAST (Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology).
The Tianyi-16 and Tianyi-17 are medium-resolution remote sensing satellites independently developed by Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., and operated by Spacety Aerospace Co. The two satellites will carry out satellite data applications such as disaster emergency monitoring, marine maritime applications, agricultural remote sensing services, polar environmental monitoring, etc.
Tianqi-4A and Tianqi-4Bare low-orbit communications satellites operated by Guodian Gaoke for IoT communications, which are also carrying a camera for educational purposes. The satellites are part of the “Apocalypse Constellation” that provides users with much-needed data collection and transmission services for terrestrial network coverage blind areas, which are widely used in marine, environmental protection, meteorological, forestry, geological, emergency, rescue and smart city industries to enhance China’s global data network coverage and application capabilities are of strategic importance.
Like previous Kuaizhou-1A launches, both December 7 launches were managed by Expace.
Expace Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp, it is specialized in R&D, manufacturing and marketing of the Kuaizhou series launch vehicle to provide cost-effective, reliable and accurate commercial launch service for customers all over the world.
The Kuaizhou-1A is a high reliability, high precision and low-cost solid launch vehicle developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASIC) and commercialized by the China Space Sanjiang Group Corporation (Expace).
The vehicle is possible based on the road-mobile DF-21 missile adding two additional upper stages. There are no apparent differences between the KZ-1A (previous commercially available as the FT-1 Feitian-1) and the KZ-1 launch vehicle.
The difference, though, can be explained by the fact that with KZ-1 the payload remains attached to the fourth liquid stage, while the KZ-1A is used for multiple payloads.
The KZ-1A solid launch vehicle adopts a mobile launch platform, integrated power supply equipment, test and launch control facilities, aiming facility and temperature control facility, to carry vehicles from the technical support center to launch site, complete temperature control of payload, vehicle test and launch.
KZ-1A launch vehicle is 20 meters long with a lift-off mass of 30 tons, and its maximum diameter is 1.4 meters. The vehicle’s power is provided by three solid motors and one liquid motor.
The solid propulsion system consists of three solid vehicle motors to provide power during first stage flight, second stage flight and third stage flight. All of the three solid motors use a single fixed nozzle and do not shut off until the propellant is exhausted.
The first stage motor is 1,40 meters in diameter, having a total mass of 16,621 kg, a burn time of 65 seconds and an impulse of 2,352 Ns/kg. The Second stage motor is 1,40 meters in diameter, having a total mass of 8,686 kg, a burn time of 62 seconds and an impulse of 2,810 NS/kg. The Third stage motor is 1,20 meters in diameter, having a total mass of 3,183 kg, a burn time of 55 seconds and an impulse of 2,850 NS/kg.
The vehicle can be used with two kinds of fairings having a diameter of 1.2 and 1.4 meters according to the space demand of cargo to be orbited.
KZ-1A is launched from a mobile platform. The Mobile Launch Platform mainly includes transport and launch vehicles, test and fire control equipment, aiming equipment, etc.
The usual launch profile sees the first stage separation taking place 1 minute and 23 seconds after launch. The second stage separation takes place at 2 minutes 21 seconds after launch, and the fairing jettisoning 15 seconds after second stage separation.
Ignition of the third stage occurs at 192 seconds into the flight, ending 1 minute 32 seconds later. Three seconds after third stage separation, the fourth and last stage gives the last kick into orbit, with a burn duration of 12 minutes and 45 seconds. Spacecraft separation takes place 17 minutes and 40 seconds after launch.
LaunchStuff@LaunchStuff
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Timelapse of the exhaust trails
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Situated in the Kelan County in the northwest part of the Shanxi Province, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) is also known by the Wuzhai designation. It is used mainly for polar launches (meteorological, Earth resources and scientific satellites).
The launch center has two single-pad launch complexes, a technical area for rocket and spacecraft preparations, a communications center, a mission command and control center, and a space tracking center.
The stages of the rocket are transported to the launch center by railway and offloaded at a transit station south of the launch complex. They were then transported by road to the technical area for checkout procedures.
The launch vehicles were assembled on the launch pad by using a crane at the top of the umbilical tower to hoist each stage of the vehicle in place. Satellites were airlifted to the Taiyuan Wusu Airport about 300km away and then transported to the center by road.
The TT&C Centre, also known as Lüliang Command Post, is headquartered in the city of Taiyuan, It has four subordinate radar tracking stations in Yangqu (Shanxi), Lishi (Shanxi), Yulin (Shaanxi), and Hancheng (Shaanxi).
