China Adds 14 Commercial Satellites Into Orbit Atop Long March 2D for Its Fifth Launch of 2023

China sent more satellites to orbit last week to cater to a range of customers.

China Launched 14 More Satellites to Orbit

On Jan 14. a Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China at 10: 14 p.m. EST. Insulation tiles dropped from the rocket as pink and purple exhaust propelled it higher than the chilly hills surrounding Taiyuan, Space.com reported.

Aboard the rocket were 14 satellites. Six of the payloads were optical and infrared remote-sensing satellites for a commercial satellite company called Jilin-1.

Jilin-1 was spun off from an institute that is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Changguang Satellite Technology currently has more than 70 satellites in orbit, and the company plans to construct a constellation consisting of 300 satellites by 2025.

Also aboard were Qilu-2 and Qilu-3, high-resolution optical and wide-swath optical satellites.

Three satellites from the Hong Kong Aerospace Science and Technology Group - Golden Bauhinia Satellites 3, 4 and 6 were also part of the mission. The first two are optimal remote sensing satellites, while the third is an optical test satellite for a planned constellation for agricultural use.

The last three satellites were Luojia-3 (01), a remote sensing satellite from DFH Satellite; BUPT-1, a scientific test satellite for Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and developed by the commercial satellite maker Spacety; and Tianzhi-2D, a technical test satellite for CAS's Institute of Software, developed by Hunan Hangsheng Satellite Technology.

It was the fifth launch from China in 2023.

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Chinese Satellite Monitoring for Sea and Island Administration

Aside from commercial purposes, China is using satellites to monitor the disputed islands and water in the South and East China seas, according to the latest blue book from the main contractor to China's space programme, according to South China Morning Post.

According to the blue book - an annual snapshot of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) activities, remote sending of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, South China Sea's Scarborough Shoal, Macclesfield Bank, the Paracels and Spratly Islands, and the surrounding waters under administration have been upgraded.

The country used the enhanced satellite program to help them administer and manage the waters and islands in its territory, including "islands of special purposes."

Because of China's claims, denoted by a nine-dash line that encompasses the majority of the strategic waterway, this region can become a flashpoint. The United States frequently sends warships on "freedom of navigation" exercises to challenge China's claims.

China has a claim to the uninhabited Diaoyu Islands, located northeast of Taiwan. These islands are administered by Japan, which refers to them as the Senkaku Islands. During the last decade, they have been a contention between Beijing and Tokyo.

China and the Philippines both lay claim to Scarborough Shoal.