The group consists of one 320-kilogram pivot satellite and three 270-kg assistant satellites, and are the first space-based assets in the Hongtu 1 network. The satellites were sent into space by a Long March 2D carrier rocket that blasted off at 6:50 pm.

Developed by GalaxySpace, a Beijing-based private satellite maker, each of the satellites carries an interferometric synthetic aperture radar.

The spacecraft will form a wheel-shaped network, as the three assistant satellites move around the pivot satellite as all travel in orbit.

This will be the first time any satellites will form a wheel-shaped system, according to GalaxySpace.

The company said the satellites are expected to carry out high-definition mapping of the globe in a rapid, efficient manner, with radars so sensitive it is capable of detecting geological changes at millimeter level. The data can support the monitoring and prevention of geological hazards such as subsiding, collapses and landslides.

Long March 2D, designed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is propelled by liquid fuel and has a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons. It is capable of sending spacecraft with a combined weight of 1.3 tons to a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marks the 469th mission of the Long March family and China's 13th rocket liftoff in 2023.

Related Links

Microsat News and Nanosat News at SpaceMart.com