China launches 10 satellites on 2 rockets less than 6 hours apart (video)

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China launched separate sets of Earth-observation and “Internet of Things” satellites into orbit on Friday (Sept. 20) on two different missions.

The action began at 12:11 a.m EDT (0411 GMT, or 12:11 p.m. Beijing time) on Friday, when a Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China. Insulation tiles fell away from the rocket’s payload fairing as it climbed into cloudy skies above the spaceport. 

Aboard were six remote-sensing satellites for Changguang Satellite Technology (CGST), a commercial spinoff from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Jilin-1 Kuanfu (wideband) 02B satellites numbers 1-6 add to CGST’s Jilin-1 commercial remote-sensing constellation, which is planned to consist of 300 satellites when completed, and provide high-resolution imagery. The company was founded in 2014 and has already launched more than 100 satellites.

China launched separate sets of Earth-observation and “Internet of Things” satellites into orbit on Sept. 20, 2024, on two different missions. (Image credit: CCTV)

U.S. Space Force space domain tracking picked up objects associated with the launch in near-circular, 339 by 330-mile (545 by 531 kilometers) near-polar orbits. This choice of orbit, common for Earth observation and remote sensing, allows the satellites to image the same spots on the planet at the same time of day repeatedly.

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