HAIYANG, (TDI): China successfully launched a Smart Dragon-3 carrier rocket from waters near Haiyang in Shandong Province on Tuesday, placing eight satellites into their designated orbits.
The commercial rocket took off at 10:31 a.m. Beijing Time, carrying the Tianyi-41 satellite among others.
This offshore launch was conducted by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and marks the third flight of the Jielong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, in the current year.
In February, a powerful Chinese rocket delivered nine satellites into orbit, highlighting what is expected to be a busy year for Chinese commercial launches.
The Jielong-3 previously launched from a floating barge off the coast of Yangjiang in Guangdong Province.
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Developed by China Rocket Co., a commercial subsidiary of a state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer, the Jielong-3 made its inaugural flight in December 2022. President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of expanding the commercial space sector, which is vital for creating satellite constellations for communications, remote sensing, and navigation.
Additionally, on the same Saturday as the recent launch, Chinese automaker Geely Holding Group deployed 11 satellites to enhance navigation capabilities for autonomous vehicles.
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In 2022, China achieved a record 67 orbital launches, including 17 commercial launches with one failure.
In 2023, China has conducted more launches than any other country aside from the United States, which executed 116 launch attempts, nearly 100 of which were by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
To further develop its commercial satellite networks, China aims to increase launch opportunities, diversify rocket types for different payloads, reduce launch costs, and expand the number of launch sites, including the construction of more spaceports and the utilization of sea launch vessels.
