China conducted back-to-back orbital launches over a 36-hour span, placing electromagnetic monitoring satellites and a spaceborne artificial intelligence supercomputer into orbit as Beijing accelerates both state defense capabilities and commercial satellite technology.
Commercial launch provider Galactic Energy launched its Ceres-2 Y3 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 7:37 a.m. Saturday. The rocket deployed four payloads into sun-synchronous orbits, including Guanlan Shiyan, Yunyao-1 28, Juntian-1 06A, and the North University of China-1 smart remote sensing satellite.
Operating in a 535-kilometer orbit, the North University of China-1 satellite serves as the lead technology verification craft for a planned orbital network known as the Taihang Constellation. Built by university researchers in Shanxi province, the satellite integrates a software-defined architecture with a spaceborne supercomputing platform designed for real-time edge processing in space.
The spacecraft features a dual-optical imaging payload capable of fusing static photography with dynamic video tracking. By executing artificial intelligence algorithms directly on board, the system analyzes and filters satellite imagery before transmission, bypassing bandwidth constraints that typically delay ground-based processing.
The commercial launch followed a heavy state mission late Thursday, when a Long March 2C rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province at 11:58 p.m. The vehicle placed the Yaogan-51 07-09 satellite trio into target orbits.
Officially designated for scientific research and electromagnetic environment monitoring, spacecraft in the Yaogan classification are broadly evaluated by defense analysts as core components of China’s electronic intelligence and orbital surveillance network.
The mission marked the 100th launch operation for the satellite builder, the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has delivered 407 satellites to orbit across scientific, communication, and remote sensing domains. The flight was the 675th mission of the state-operated Long March rocket series.
