China successfully launched its Smart Dragon-3 (Jielong-3) rocket from offshore waters near Shandong province on Sunday, sending a new batch of satellites into a preset orbit.
The mission deployed the CentiSpace 02 satellite group, lifting off at 11:49 p.m. from near Haiyang City. The launch was conducted by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, marking the 10th flight of this commercial rocket series.
The Smart Dragon-3 is a four-stage solid-propellant rocket developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. It is designed to carry payloads of up to 1,500 kilograms into sun-synchronous or low-Earth orbit, supporting both commercial and research missions.This offshore launch demonstrates China’s growing capabilities in commercial space technology, enabling flexible satellite deployments and advancing its position in global space operations.
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