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China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLong March 2CLaunch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
AlSat 3A
Launched
January 15, 2026 · 04:01 UTC
Summary
AlSat 3A launched on a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 2C from Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on January 15, 2026 at 04:01 UTC. The launch window ran from 03:53 to 04:17 UTC. It was China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 573rd launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 7,183rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 64th Long March 2C flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). ALSAT-3A, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 497 × 634 km orbit inclined 97.2°. 5 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 64th Long March 2C flight · 1st this yearChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 573rd launch3rd this yearhumanity's 7,183rd orbital launch attempt10th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
ALSAT-3A · NORAD 67474 · 2026-009 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 5 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2026-009A
- Epoch
- 2026-01-15 13:04:14 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.02863716 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0098977
- Inclination
- 97.1813°
- Ascending node
- 89.9785°
- Arg. of perigee
- 221.6738°
- Mean anomaly
- 137.6918°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 6
- B*
- 0.000089097
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
5 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 3 components; 4 still in orbit
- ALSAT-3A · NORAD 67474 · in orbit
CZ-2C Yxx Stage 2 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Earth observation satellite built by China's CAST for the Algerian Space Agency.
Pad
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
133rd launch from Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), 1st this year · 274th from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Local pad time at liftoff: Jan 15, 12:01 PM GMT+8, in daylight
138 launches from this pad · 299 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
15 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaOpen in maps
Updates
Launch success.
Show 1 earlier update
Added launch per NOTAMs; Payload and launch vehicle identities highly uncertain.
Cosmic_Penguin · 1/13/2026 · source
Questions
When did AlSat 3A launch?
AlSat 3A launched on January 15, 2026 at 04:01 UTC. The launch window ran from 03:53 to 04:17 UTC.
Where can I watch AlSat 3A?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched AlSat 3A?
Long March 2C, flown by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Long March 2C spec sheet
Where did AlSat 3A launch from?
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China. Liftoff was Jan 15, 12:01 PM GMT+8 local time at the pad.
What orbit did AlSat 3A reach?
ALSAT-3A, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 497 × 634 km orbit inclined 97.2°.
How many satellites did AlSat 3A launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).