China has sent a new remote sensing satellite into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The satellite, Yaogan-36, was launched by a Long March-2D carrier rocket at 2:25 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Thursday, and entered its planned orbit successfully. The launch was the 455th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said, the Yaogan satellites are designed for scientific experiments, land research, agricultural yield assessment, as well as for disaster prevention and mitigation. The CASC declared the launch to be a success within an hour of launch, revealing that the payload for the mission was a Yaogan 36 spacecraft. As with previous Yaogan 36 series launches, it is thought that the rocket carried a group of three satellites, joining three previous Yaogan 36 triplets in orbit. They are expected to join the earlier groups in roughly 300-mile-altitude (500 kilometers) orbits with inclinations of 35 degrees. A mission patch in a press release from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), a CASC subsidiary and provider of the Long March 2D rocket for the launch, indicates that the payload adapter for the flight is carrying a deorbit drag sail to reduce the time it spends in orbit. SAST began adding the sails to Long March 2D launches earlier this year. The SAST patches for Yaogan 36 missions feature waves with shapes resembling islands in the South China and Philippine seas, suggesting a focus on maritime observation in the region. China describes Yaogan satellites as being designed for uses including gathering scientific data, conducting land surveys and monitoring agriculture. However, the secrecy surrounding the satellites leads analysts outside of China to believe that the satellites also have military capabilities and stakeholders. The launch was China's 61st of 2022, and the 50th Long March rocket launch of the year, meaning China has already surpassed the national record for launches in a calendar year it set last year. — Agencies
