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China has confirmed the loss of its Shiyan-10 satellite, despite an otherwise successful takeoff on Monday, September 27.
The Shiyan-10 satellite was launched into space aboard a Long March 3B rocket, which took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China at around 4:20 a.m. EDT (8:20 a.m. GMT; 4:00 p.m. local) Monday, September 27.
The spacecraft was China’s second orbital launch of the day, following the Jilin-1 Gaofen 02D satellite, which was carried by a Kuaizhou-1A rocket that took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. at 2:19 a.m. EDT (0619 GMT; 2:19 p.m. local time). This spacecraft is reported to have successfully entered orbit.
Video: China launches Earth observation satellite as rocket returns to flight
Related: The latest news from the Chinese space program
Chinese state media released a statement on Tuesday, September 28, confirming the failure of the Shiyan-10 satellite, saying the spacecraft was not performing as expected and had been lost after a normal flight the day before, SpaceNews reported.
Shortly after takeoff on Monday, “lightning in the night sky” was observed over New South Wales, Australia and reported on Twitter. This flash was likely caused by a burn off the upper stage of the Long March 3B rocket, which at the time suggested the launch was on track, according to SpaceNews.
The name and purpose of the Long March 3B payload had not been confirmed prior to launch. However, data from the US Space Force showed that the payload was aimed at a geosynchronous orbit around Earth. A few hours after launch, an object was cataloged, confirming that the Shiyan-10 satellite had indeed separated from the upper stage of the rocket.
While the Long March 3B launcher was confirmed to be operating normally, the Shiyan-10 satellite experienced abnormal operating conditions during launch and was declared faulty on Tuesday, September 28.
The Chinese Kuaizhou-1A rocket also returned to action on Monday, September 27, marking the rocket’s first flight since it failed to put the Jilin-1 Gaofen 02C satellite into orbit in September 2020. The rocket successfully delivered the Jilin-1 Gaofen Satellite 02D into orbit, SpaceNews reported.
Jilin-1 Gaofen 02D is a high resolution Earth observation satellite and is part of the Chinese constellation Jilin-1 of 138 high performance optical remote sensing satellites.
Monday’s two launches were China’s 35th and 36th orbital launches in 2021. The launches were carried out by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), which is targeting more than 40 missions this year.
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