China Rocket Co. Ltd.Smart Dragon 3South China Sea (launch location 3), Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
SatNet test satellite
Launched
April 11, 2026 · 11:32 UTC
Image: CASC
Summary
SatNet test satellite launched on a China Rocket Co. Ltd. Smart Dragon 3 from South China Sea (launch location 3), Haiyang Oriental Spaceport on April 11, 2026 at 11:32 UTC. The launch window ran from 11:22 to 11:47 UTC. It was China Rocket Co. Ltd.'s 12th launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 7,256th orbital launch attempt. It was the 11th Smart Dragon 3 flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for Polar Orbit (PO). Xingwang Jishu SW 08-01, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 1,003 × 1,016 km orbit inclined 86.5°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Smart Dragon 3 · China Rocket Co. Ltd.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Polar Orbit (PO)
- Milestone
- 11th Smart Dragon 3 flight · 3rd this yearChina Rocket Co. Ltd.'s 12th launch3rd this yearhumanity's 7,256th orbital launch attempt83rd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Xingwang Jishu SW 08-01 · NORAD 68687 · 2026-078 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2026-078A
- Epoch
- 2026-04-11 21:22:05 UTC
- Mean motion
- 13.69201437 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0008411
- Inclination
- 86.4979°
- Ascending node
- 305.7641°
- Arg. of perigee
- 288.6601°
- Mean anomaly
- 71.3645°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 4
- B*
- -0.0026815
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: PO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 1 component; 3 still in orbit
- Xingwang Jishu SW 08-01 · NORAD 68687 · in orbit
Jielong-3 Y11 Stage 4 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite". Probable 1 (?) test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO communication satellite constellation SatNet.
Pad
South China Sea (launch location 3), Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
2nd launch from South China Sea (launch location 3), 2nd this year · 25th from Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Local pad time at liftoff: Apr 11, 7:32 PM GMT+8, in twilight
2 launches from this pad · 28 from Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
58 days after the previous launch from this pad
Updates
Questions
When did SatNet test satellite launch?
SatNet test satellite launched on April 11, 2026 at 11:32 UTC. The launch window ran from 11:22 to 11:47 UTC.
Where can I watch SatNet test satellite?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched SatNet test satellite?
Smart Dragon 3, flown by China Rocket Co. Ltd.. Smart Dragon 3 spec sheet
Where did SatNet test satellite launch from?
South China Sea (launch location 3), Haiyang Oriental Spaceport. Liftoff was Apr 11, 7:32 PM GMT+8 local time at the pad.
What orbit did SatNet test satellite reach?
Xingwang Jishu SW 08-01, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 1,003 × 1,016 km orbit inclined 86.5°.
How many satellites did SatNet test satellite launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).