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China’s first Long March 6A rocket, with four strap-on solid rocket boosters, lifted off March 29 from the Taiyuan launch base. Credit: CASC China launched three more space missions in recent weeks, debuting the country’s first rocket to be fitted with strap-on solid-fueled boosters and deploying satellites to image planet Earth and calibrate orbit prediction …

China launches three space missions, debuts new rocket configuration Read More »

Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher streaks into the night sky over New Zealand with two BlackSky imaging satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab / Joseph Baxter Two microsatellites for BlackSky launched Saturday from New Zealand, riding a Rocket Lab launch vehicle into orbit to join a fleet of commercial eyes supplying imagery to military and civilian users. The …

Commercial BlackSky imaging satellites ride with Rocket Lab Read More »

Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle during a countdown rehearsal earlier this week. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab will launch a mission from New Zealand on Saturday to place two more small optical imaging satellites into orbit for BlackSky, the U.S. remote sensing company. The two satellites will ride a Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle into …

Rocket Lab to deploy two more BlackSky imaging satellites Read More »

A Long March 4C rocket lifts off with the Yaogan 34-02 satellite. Credit: CASC China launched a classified military remote sensing satellite March 17 on a Long March 4C rocket. The three-stage rocket placed the Yaogan 34-02 satellite into an orbit at an altitude of 680 miles (1,100 kilometers). The Long March 4C lifted off …

China launches military spy satellite Read More »