China completes two successful orbital launches within 12 hours  

By AJP Posted : October 17, 2024, 09:34 Updated : October 17, 2024, 09:34
A satellite group is launched aboard a modified Long March-6 carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province northern China on Oct 15 2024 Xinhua-Yonhap
A rocket is being fired from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, northern China on Oct. 15, 2024. Xinhua-Yonhap
SEOUL, October 17 (AJP) - China successfully launched 18 communication satellites and a remote sensing satellite into orbit in two separate missions on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in the span of 12 hours. Space experts view this achievement as a reflection of China's advancing capabilities in space technology and applications.  

The Gaofen-12 05 satellite was launched Wednesday morning aboard a Long March-4C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province.  

The evening before, China had launched 18 communication satellites for the Qianfan network into orbit using a Long March-6A rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi Province.  

Both the Gaofen-12 05 satellite and the Long March-4C rocket were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spacecraft Technology (SAST), a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the nation's main space contractor.  

According to SAST, the Gaofen-12 05 satellite will be used in various fields such as land surveys, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimation, and disaster relief.  

The Qianfan network, previously known as the G60 network and often referred to as the "Chinese version of Starlink," aims to provide fast, secure, and reliable broadband internet services globally. The network is expected to consist of over 15,000 satellites in low Earth orbit by 2030.  

The creation of the Qianfan constellation is likely to drive innovation in sectors like mobile technology, autonomous driving, disaster prevention, and the Internet of Things, presenting new opportunities in the satellite internet market, experts say.  
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