A SD-3 carrier rocket, carrying eight satellites, blasted off from the waters near Haiyang City, east China's Shandong Province, September 24, 2024. /China Media Group
A total of eight satellites were launched from waters near Haiyang City, east China's Shandong Province, on Tuesday.
A Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) carrier rocket, carrying Tianyi-41 and other satellites, blasted off at 10:31 a.m. Beijing Time. All the satellites have entered the preset orbit.
Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the SD-3 is a four-stage solid-propellant commercial carrier rocket that can be launched both at sea and on land.
With a carrying capacity of 1.5 tonnes to the sun-synchronous orbit, it is considered a cost-efficient launch vehicle for deploying satellites to create constellations and payload verification.
The launch, carried out by China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, is the fourth flight mission of the SD-3 carrier rocket.