Padside

Image: CASC/Li Yanming 李艳明

Long March 8A | SatNet LEO Group 02 (Demo Flight)

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation · Long March 8A · 201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 506th launch · 5th this year · humanity's 6,879th orbital launch attempt

T− --:--:--February 11, 2025 · 09:30 UTCAdd to calendar
Success

The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).

Window: Feb 11, 09:22Feb 11, 10:12 UTC

Flight preview

SatNet LEO Group 02 (Demo Flight)

Demonstration flight of the Long March 8A rocket with upgraded first stage and boosters engines, and a new larger liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen second stage with new YF-75H engines derived from ones used on the Long March 5. Payload is a batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group. The constellation will eventually consists of 13000 satellites.

Communications · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Booster

No booster details available.

Watch

Updates

  • Launch success.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 2/11/2025 · source

  • Liftoff.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 2/11/2025 · source

  • Unofficial Webcast by International Rocket Launches has started

    LL2 · 2/11/2025 · source

  • Tweaked launch window per new NOTAMs.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 2/7/2025 · source

  • Delayed to NET February 11 per new NOTAMs.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/24/2025 · source

  • Added launch per NOTAMs; Payload identities uncertain.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/21/2025 · source

Pad — 201

Local pad time: Feb 11, 5:30 PM GMT+8

31 launches from this pad · 68 from Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Map of 201Open in maps