China successfully launched a Lijian-2 Y2 carrier rocket on Tuesday, lifting off at 8:15 a.m. Beijing Time from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, Xinhua reported on November 3.
The rocket sent 18 satellites of the Spacesail Constellation into planned orbit, with these forming part of China’s commercial low-orbit satellite network, Xinhua said. The 18 satellites were placed in an 800-kilometre near-polar orbit as the Qianfan Polar-Orbit Group 21, Wedoany reported.
This successful launch marks the first time the Lijian-2 has carried out a large-scale satellite internet constellation deployment mission, Xinhua said. The Lijian-2 is a liquid-fueled carrier rocket independently developed by CAS Space, Xinhua said.
CAS Space said the mission was the second flight of the Lijian-2 rocket and the 18th launch of the Lijian series, Xinhua said. The Lijian series has placed one spacecraft and 139 satellites into space, bringing the total in-orbit payload mass to over 27 tonnes and serving nearly 40 customers both at home and abroad, Xinhua said.
Source: Xinhua, via the State Council Information Office; Wedoany
