Overview
- A Long March 6A from Taiyuan placed Yaogan-50 (02) into a 142-degree retrograde orbit that later circularized near 952 kilometers, with CASC confirming success.
- A Kuaizhou-11 lifted off from Jiuquan and deployed eight satellites into preset orbits, with CASIC reporting mission success on the rocket’s fifth flight and fourth success.
- Payloads included Juntian-1-04A, an X-band SAR satellite for millimeter-level surface deformation monitoring, and Yuxing-3 (06), which will test a flexible robotic arm, simulated refueling, and a drag-sphere deorbit demo.
- These launches were counted as China’s 13th and 14th orbital attempts of 2026, and industry reporting suggests the country may try to exceed 100 launches this year.
- CASIC highlights Kuaizhou-11’s roughly one-ton capacity to 700-kilometer SSO and rapid-response profile, reflecting a broader push that Xinhua says now involves more than 600 commercial aerospace firms.