LM-2D Launches 3 Satellites on One Mission

A LM-2D launch vehicle soared up from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 10:27 Beijing time on August 23,placing three satellites,Gaofen 9-05,a multi-function test satellite and Tiantuo 5,into their preset orbits.The launch was a complete success.

Gaofen 9-05 is an optical remote sensing satellite developed by the DFH Satellite Co.,Ltd.of CAST.It will be used for land surveys,city planning,land-right confirmation,road network design,crop yield estimation and disaster prevention and mitigation,providing information support for construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The multi-function test satellite will verify new technologies for communications,navigation and remote sensing.While the Tiantuo 5 satellite will test and verify information acquisition technologies for ships,aircrafts,buoys and the Internet of Things.

The LM-2D launch vehicle was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.The conventional liquid two-stage carrier rocket is capable of launching one or multiple satellites into different orbits.Until now,LM-2D has conducted all 7 launch missions in 2020 with 100 success rate.

The LM-2D launch vehicle for this mission and the one launched on August 6 arrived at the launch site at the same time conducting test work before launch simultaneously,thus further reduced the preparation time before launch.

Based on its high reliability,the LM-2D carrier rocket can be launched from Jiuquan,Xichang and Taiyuan satellite launch centers.An image measurement system will be used on LM-2D to observe flight course of the rocket more directly.

This was the 343rd flight of the Long March series launch vehicle.(LIU Yan/China Space News)

A LM-2D launch vehicle is prepared for launchPhoto:WANG Qijun