Shijian 26

Overview

Destination: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Sun-Synchronous Orbit Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese experimental satellite claimed to be for "Earth observation & environmental management" purposes, details not known.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • May 23, 2025, 2:58 p.m.

Added launch per NOTAMs; Payload and launch vehicle identities uncertain.


Cosmic_Penguin • May 29, 2025, 4:54 a.m.

Launch success.


Long March 4B

Family:
Configuration: B

The Long March 4B (Chinese: 长征四号乙火箭), also known as the Chang Zheng 4B, CZ-4B and LM-4B is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Launched from Launch Complex 1 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, it is a 3-stage rocket, used mostly to place satellites into low Earth and sun synchronous orbits.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    44.1 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    249.0 T
  • Thrust
    2961.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 4B
  • Family
  • Variant
    B
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 4B
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    4200.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    1500.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 517 Failures: 14 Pending: 6

Agency Type:

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Related News

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Chinese asteroid mission, Electron, and Falcon 9 set to launch

This week, China will launch a near-Earth asteroid sample return mission amongst several other missions.… The post Launch Roundup: Chinese asteroid mission, Electron, and Falcon 9 set to launch appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

SpaceNews

China launches classified Shijan-26 satellite with Long March 4B rocket

China carried out its ninth launch of the month early Thursday, sending the secretive Shijian-26 spacecraft into orbit.  The post China launches classified Shijan-26 satellite with Long March 4B rocket appeared first on SpaceNews.

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603)


Falcon 9
Go
15 hours, 44 minutes ago
TRACERS
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

NASA's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission, consisting of two identical satellites that will orb…


Falcon 9
Go
1 day, 12 hours ago
O3b mPower 9-10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

2 high-throughput communications satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) built by Boeing and operated by SES.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 6 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-3
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Project Kuiper (KF-01)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

First of a three launches contract for Amazon's Kuiper low Earth orbit satellite internet constellation, with 24 satellites on board.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 15-2
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 7
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Tianzhou-9
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Eighth cargo delivery mission to the Chinese space station.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Dror-1
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Note: SpaceX identifies the mission as "Commercial GTO 1". Dror-1 is a geostationary communication satellite built and developed by Israel Aerospa…


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 10-28
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
2 weeks, 5 days ago
Progress MS-31 (92P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.


Long March 4C
Success
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Shiyan 28 B-01
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Satellite officially named for "space environment detection" purposes, exact details unknown.