Long March 5 launches classified satellite, Zhuque-2E lofts direct-to-device test sats
HELSINKI - China has conducted a pair of launches to advance its communications capabilities, using the country's largest rocket and a commercial launcher.
The Long March 5 lifted off at 3:30 a.m. Eastern (0730 UTC) June 11 from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island, targeting geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the success of the launch, revealing the previously undisclosed payload to be the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-25 (TJS-25).
TJS-25 will be mainly used to carry out multi-band and high-speed communication technology validation tests, according to CASC. No images of the spacecraft nor further information were published.
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The TJS series mainly operates in geostationary orbit (GEO). It is seen by Western analysts as potentially carrying out classified missions including signals intelligence, early warning missions and satellite inspection activities to support the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The vast majority of TJS series satellites have launched on the workhorse Long March 3B. The use of the Long March 5, capable of sending 14,000 kilograms into GTO, suggests TJS-25 is a heavier satellite than those launched via the Long March 3B (5,500 kg to GTO).
The mission was the 11th launch of the standard heavy-lift Long March 5, which debuted in November 2016. CASC's statement noted that nine technical improvements were implemented to enhance reliability of the launcher. The successful mission clears the way for the launch of the Chang'e-7 lunar south pole landing mission, expected around August.
The Long March 5B-a variant for low Earth orbit-was used to construct China's Tiangong space station. The failure of the second launch of the Long March 5, in 2017, kept the Long March 5 grounded for more than two years and delayed the debut of the 5B, holding up the Tiangong project.
China is now debuting reusable Long March rockets which are approaching the payload capacity of the Long March 5, while also building on Long March 5 tech to develop the Long March 10 designed to take Chinese astronauts to the moon.
Zhuque-2E launches Qianfan, China Mobile satellites
The TJS-25 launch was preceded by a mission conducted by commercial launch service provider Landspace two days earlier.
A Zhuque-2E methane-liquid oxygen rocket lifted off at 6:23 a.m. Eastern (1023 UTC) June 9 from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert.
Landspace confirmed launch success, announcing the two payloads to be the DTC 01 for Qianfan constellation operator Spacesail and the China Mobile 02 satellite. The launch took place just under a month after the previous launch of the Zhuque-2E, which featured a number of enhancements over earlier flights.
DTC 01, a direct-to-cellphone test satellite, was developed for Spacesail by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS). China Mobile 02 was designed for testing satellite Internet technology and was developed under the lead of China Mobile Communications Group, with commercial satellite manufacturer Galaxyspace heavily involved. The satellite is a broadband direct-to-smartphone test satellite. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) completed domestic frequency coordination and issued the radio licenses ahead of the launch.
The test satellite launches occur within a broader push by China to establish comprehensive and integrated satellite internet infrastructure.
The launches were China's 38th and 39th orbital launch attempts of the year, with the country expected to aim for more than 100 launches within a calendar year for the first time. Landspace is currently thought to be readying its second Zhuque-3 rocket at Jiuquan for a launch and booster recovery attempt.
The Long March 5 launch was stated by CASC to be the 650th launch of the Long March rocket series. The milestone highlights China's increasing launch cadence, coming around eight months after hitting the 600 launch landmark.
China's first 100 Long March launches took 37 years, from the country's first orbital launch in April 1970 to June 2007. The pace has accelerated dramatically since. The 200th launch followed in December 2014, seven and a half years later, and the 300th in March 2019, after a further four years and three months. The 400th came two years and nine months after that, in December 2021, followed by the 500th two years later, Dec. 10, 2023. The 600th launch followed just 22 months after that, in October 2025. The latest launch, the 650th, puts the series on pace to reach 700 launches around 16 months after the 600th, even as commercial rockets add to China's overall launch activity.
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