Beijing, 11 August 2022 (TDI): China has launched 16 new satellites into orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province. It included the Jilin-1 Gaofen 03D09 and the Yunyao-1 04-08 satellites.
The satellites were launched at 12:50 PM (Beijing Time) atop a Long March-6 Y10 carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully.
#China launches 16 new #satellites into orbit with one rocket on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/k2bs8WzIOY
— libijian李碧建 (@libijian2) August 10, 2022
These satellites are mainly used in fields such as commercial remote sensing and atmospheric imaging. This is the 432nd mission of China’s Long March carrier rocket series.
Moreover, the new module will function both as a backup of the core module and as a powerful scientific experiment platform.
Previous Launches
Earlier on July 16, China launched a Long March-2C carrier rocket to place two satellites in space. It included Siwei 03 and 04, which were lifted from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi.
China also launched Wentian, the first lab module of its space station. China’s Shenzhou-13 mission last year was a major step for the country’s young space program, which is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most advanced.
China’s Space Program
The Chinese space program was established in the early 1970s. Aided by the economic reforms of the 1980s, China’s space program progressed until the launch of the first crewed mission in 2003.
By then, China became the third country to independently send humans into space. The Chinese have since invested billions of dollars into the space program and the payoff has been evident.
China successfully landed an exploratory rover on the moon in December 2020 and one on Mars in May 2021. China has conducted 29 orbital launches in 2022 as of early August. Plans currently include a permanent Chinese space station by the end of 2022.
It also includes crewed expeditions to the Moon, Mars, and interplanetary missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Chinese officials have articulated long-term ambitions to exploit Earth-Moon space for industrial development.
