At 11:06 on May 20, 2024, the Long March-2D Yao-98 carrier rocket carrying four remote sensing satellites of the Beijing 3C constellation was launched from Station 9 of the Taiyuan launch site to put the satellite into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
The four satellites of the "Beijing-3C" constellation are high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites developed by the Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite Co., Ltd. of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. This type of satellite is developed based on a low-cost, high-performance satellite platform, with a panchromatic resolution of 0.5 meters and a multispectral resolution of 2 meters, which is the smallest mass among the current practical (service) 0.5 meter high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites.
The satellite is equipped with a high-performance GPU (graphics processing unit), which not only supports real-time processing of on-orbit remote sensing images, but also supports the operation of artificial intelligence algorithms such as deep learning. At the same time, the satellite supports on-board autonomous mission planning, which can independently complete imaging mission planning, image acquisition, data compression, in-orbit processing, image downstreaming, etc. In addition, the satellite is specially designed for high-speed betting channels for APP on-orbit betting, which supports APP on-orbit installation, operation, unloading, update and other operations.
The "Beijing-3C" constellation is a commercial remote sensing satellite constellation invested and initiated by the 21st Century Space Technology Application Co., Ltd. After the constellation is put into use, the four satellites will be operated in equal phase networking to meet the observation needs of daily revisits in any region of the world, and the imaging information will be used in land and resources management, agricultural resources investigation, ecological environment monitoring, urban comprehensive application and other fields.
The Long March-2D is a medium-sized two-stage liquid launch vehicle developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation at room temperature, which is mainly used for low-earth orbit (LEO) and sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) launch missions. The arrow is about 41 meters long (equipped with a standard diameter of 3.35 meters fairing), the first and second diameters are 3.35 meters, the take-off mass is 250 tons, the take-off thrust is 302 tons, the low earth orbit (LEO) capacity is 4 tons, and the 700-kilometer circular sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) capacity is 1.3 tons.
This mission is designed for the customized design of the satellite shape, and adopts the "split-layer parallel" layout of two high and two low. At the same time, the rocket is equipped with a sub-stage landing area control system (grid rudder control system). This time, the grid rudder adopts a swept rudder surface with the whole rudder facing backwards, and the aerodynamic performance is significantly improved, which can further improve the control ability of the grid rudder. For the first time, a pneumatic pin puller was adopted, which replaced the traditional pyrotechnic pin puller, achieved low impact, and provided a technical reserve for subsequent reusable rockets.
Since its successful maiden flight from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on August 9, 1992, the "Chang Er Ding" rocket has won 90 consecutive victories, continuing to set a record for China's single-type carrier rockets.
This launch is the 5th launch of the Long March-2D rocket in 2024, the 3rd launch from the Taiyuan launch site, the 23rd launch from China, and the 95th launch in the world.
Author: Mulan Xingzhou