Early on August 10, Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 Earth observation satellite constellation and six additional payloads were launched atop a Chinese Chang Zheng 6 rocket. Liftoff occurred at 04:50 UTC from Taiyuan and was confirmed to be a success after deployment. The target orbit for the 16 satellites was a 535 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The Jilin-1 constellation is China’s first remote-sensing satellite constellation made by a commercial company, and the first satellites in the Jilin-1 constellation were launched in 2015. The company that is operating the constellation is the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Corporation, which is a subsidiary of the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics. Payloads Once the constellation is completed, a total of 138 satellites will make up the constellation. Over 60 of these satellites have already been launched on a variety of Chinese rockets, including Kuaizhou-1A, Chang Zheng 6, and Chang Zheng 11. This launch featured 10 Jilin-1 satellites, called Jilin-1-GF-03D. See AlsoCZ-6 Jilin-1 Launch UpdatesChina Forum SectionL2 ResourcesClick here to Join L2 Once the final constellation is deployed, the goal is to have the satellites image every inch of Earth’s surface every 10 minutes. Currently, teams are planning for the constellation…
Read More…
China launches 16 more Jilin-1 satellites atop Chang Zheng 6
