Smart Dragon-3 Rocket Launches CentiSpace 02 Satellite | Shandong, China

A Smart Dragon-3 rocket launched Sunday evening from a sea-based platform off the coast of Haiyang, Shandong Province, successfully delivering the CentiSpace 02 satellite group to orbit, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.

The launch occurred at 11:49 p.m. Beijing Time, with operations conducted by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, Xinhua reported. The rocket, also known as Jielong-3 Y10, carried ten satellites belonging to Beijing Future Navigation Technology Co Ltd, or Future Navigation, according to a report from China-in-Space.com.

The satellites are part of the CentiSpace network, a planned constellation of 190 satellites intended to provide global navigation services, including positioning for Internet-of-Things devices, support for smart grids, and aid in land surveying and disaster monitoring. Future Navigation aims to achieve centimeter-level accuracy with a fully deployed network, the report stated.

Each satellite weighs approximately 100 kilograms and is equipped with high-speed inter-satellite communication links. This launch represents the second group of CentiSpace satellites deployed, following an initial launch fourteen months prior, also utilizing a Jielong-3 rocket.

The Jielong-3, manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), has now successfully completed ten launches from sea-based platforms, according to China-in-Space.com. The launch on March 22nd took place from a platform near Haiyang in the Yellow Sea, at 15:49 UTC.

A post on LinkedIn from Stephanie Soquet confirmed the launch, noting the rocket is also known as Lightning Dragon No. 3. The launch vehicle is a solid-propellant rocket developed by China Rocket Co. Ltd., affiliated with CALVT.

Future Navigation expects to begin offering basic services from the CentiSpace network in the near future.