15 September 2020: China launches Long March 11 from an ocean platform in the Yellow Sea. Nine satellites successfully placed in low-earth orbit. Watch Launch Video.
– This was China’s second ocean-based launch, first was a Long March 11 sea launch in June 2019. This was the first launch of China’s new seaport facilities at Haiyang in eastern China.
– The launch put 9 Jilin-1 (Gaofen-03 High Resolution-03) imagery satellites into 332-mile orbits. Six of the satellites are imaging satellites, capable of 1.1m resolution. The other 3 are video satellites.
– The satellites are part of the planned Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGST) constellation of 138 commercial Earth observation satellites, capable of imaging any location on Earth five to seven times a day.
China is only the third country to perform a sea launch, following the U.S. and Russia. China established a spaceport/space industrial cluster in Haiyang City, Shandong Province. Per Haiyang’s deputy Mayor the complex will be able to produce 20 solid propellant boosters per year.
