On December 26, the mainland's Long March 11 and Long March 3B carrier rockets took off one after another from the waters near Yangjiang in Guangdong Province and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, respectively, and the launch missions were successful.
At 6:39, the Long March 11 carrier rocket successfully launched the test 24C satellite in the waters near Yangjiang, Guangdong, and Samsung successfully entered the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success. The No. 24C satellite was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Aerospace Technology of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and the satellite was mainly used for space science and technology experiments.
Dong Xiaobin, the overall model designer of the Chang 11 rocket, introduced that the current Chang 11 rocket can be equipped with two diameter fairings of 1.6 meters and 2 meters, and this mission is the first time to apply a 2-meter diameter fairing in the sea-launched mission, and the subsequent sea-launch, land-launched and 1.6-meter, 2-meter diameter fairings can be freely matched according to user needs, which enhances the adaptability and market competitiveness of the rocket mission.
The mainland successfully launched the test 24C satellite Xinhua News Agency (photo by Wang Keqi)
In view of the high probability of condensation in rainy days and the high concentration of air salt spray that may exist in the launch area, the model team has improved the degree of automation of the launch process and further improved the ability to guarantee the satellite environment.
In this mission, the Chang 11 rocket followed the launch process of the Jielong-3 rocket, using the same launch ship to carry out long-distance mobile launch at sea. The interval between the launch of the two types of rockets is only more than 20 days, including 12 days for the round-trip voyage time of the launch ship, setting a new record for the shortest sea launch interval and laying the foundation for the high-frequency launch of solid rockets at sea.
At 11:26 on the same day, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the "gold medal partner" of the Long March-3B carrier rocket and the upper stage of the Yuanzheng-1 were ignited and flew in relay, successfully launching the 57th and 58th Beidou navigation satellites.
Zhang Yunlong, the overall deputy chief designer of the Long March-3A series of launch vehicles, introduced that this mission is the first time in four years that the Chang-3B rocket and the upper stage of Yuanzheng-1 have joined hands after four years after the successful launch of the Beidou-3 group 12 MEO satellite on December 16, 2019.
Changsanyi rocket takes off (photo by Wang Ruiqi)
In order to ensure that this mission is foolproof, the R&D team strictly controls the quality and prevents risks, and also makes adaptive changes according to the characteristics of the mission, which further improves the adaptability and reliability.
The 57th and 58th Beidou navigation satellites launched this time belong to the medium circle earth orbit satellites, which are the first group of MEO satellites launched after the completion and opening of the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation system of the mainland. The Long March-3A series of carrier rockets, composed of Chang-3A, Chang-3B and Chang-3C, is known as the "Beidou Special Train", and has a 100% launch success rate since the launch of the mainland's first Beidou navigation test satellite in 2000.
The above two missions were the 503rd and 504th launches of the Long March series of launch vehicles, respectively.
Editor-in-chief: Li Ye Source: Xinhua News Agency
Source: Author: Ju Hefei