China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLong March 4BLaunch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2
Launched
January 9, 2012
Image: CASC
Summary
Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2 launched on a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 4B from Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on January 9, 2012. It was China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 102nd launch, 1st this year and humanity's 5,191st orbital launch attempt. It was the 17th Long March 4B flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Zi Yuan 3-01, one of 7 catalogued objects, reached a 501 × 510 km orbit inclined 97.5°. 7 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 17th Long March 4B flight · 1st this yearChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 102nd launch1st this yearhumanity's 5,191st orbital launch attempt1st orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Zi Yuan 3-01 · NORAD 38046 · 2012-001 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 7 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2012-001A
- Epoch
- 2012-01-09 04:20:44 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.22534857 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0006266
- Inclination
- 97.4844°
- Ascending node
- 84.3994°
- Arg. of perigee
- 254.1162°
- Mean anomaly
- 105.9331°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
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
7 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage, 4 components; none still in orbit
- Zi Yuan 3-01 · NORAD 38046 · re-entered March 22, 2026
- VesselSat2 · NORAD 38047 · re-entered October 27, 2016
CZ-4B Y26 Stage 3 · re-entered March 7, 2012
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Ziyuan 3 was China's first civilian high-resolution stereo-mapping satellite, carrying three-line-array cameras for topographic surveying. It launched with VesselSat-2, a LuxSpace ship-tracking (AIS) satellite for Orbcomm.
Pad
Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
6th launch from Launch Complex 9, 1st this year · 40th from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
80 launches from this pad · 162 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
60 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2 launch?
Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2 launched on January 9, 2012. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2?
Long March 4B, flown by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Long March 4B spec sheet
Where did Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2 launch from?
Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.
What orbit did Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2 reach?
Zi Yuan 3-01, one of 7 catalogued objects, reached a 501 × 510 km orbit inclined 97.5°.
How many satellites did Ziyuan 3 & VesselSat-2 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, none of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).