China’s Long March-4B Rocket Launches Shijian-26 Satellite for Land Survey and Environmental Monitoring.

Science and Technology

On 29th May 2025, China successfully launched the Shijian-26 satellite aboard a Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert.


      - The satellite entered a sun-synchronous orbit, enabling consistent Earth observation under similar lighting conditions. This launch was China’s 33rd rocket mission in 2025 and the 579th flight of the Long March rocket series.

      - Shijian-26’s mission is to collect data supporting land monitoring, environmental protection, and economic planning, strengthening China’s space-based information services for sustainable development.

      - The satellite was developed collaboratively by the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of China Academy of Space Technology), and the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Main Point :-   (i) The Long March-4B rocket is a three-stage, medium-lift vehicle built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

      (ii) It can carry up to 2.5 metric tons into a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit and has been a dependable launch vehicle since its introduction in 1999.

(iii) This launch highlights China’s growing leadership in space technology and innovation. The Shijian series focuses on scientific experiments and emerging technologies—following Shijian-25, launched earlier in 2025, which demonstrated on-orbit refueling and satellite lifespan extension technologies.

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