Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09

[Liss]

According to http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/9166894.html , Yaogan Weixing 6 is to be launched on April 22 from Taiyuan by CZ-2C.

[Satori]

Thanks for the alert Liss!!!

Any idea of what kind of satellite this new remote sensing bird could be?

[Chris Bergin]

Not seeing anything in the Chinese media yet.

[Phillip Clark]

Thanks for the alert Liss!!!

Any idea of what kind of satellite this new remote sensing bird could be?

The combination of a CZ-2C and Taiyuan is new to the Yaogan Weixing programme, so I am assuming a new Jianbing series and a new orbital regime: maybe the missing Jianbing-7 radar satellite? - although if that's a Shanghai payload I would have expected it on a CZ-4 variant.

[wbhh]

luanched at April 22, GMT 2:55
no pictures, no more information until now

http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-04/22/content_11231446.htm

[wbhh]

http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2009/04-22/1658232.shtml

[input~2]

Launch time was 10:55 LT.

[Liss]

SAST is announced as the spacecraft producer.

[William Graham]

Images show launch from Pad 1

[Phillip Clark]

SAST is announced as the spacecraft producer.

This is suggestive of a new series of radar satellites, like Yaogans 1 & 3 (Jianbing-5 series).   The use of the CZ-2C indicates a much lower mass than the Jianbing-5 (2,700 kg).

This would parallel the imaging Yaogans with 2 and 4 being the small CAST-2000 platform (Jianbing-6) and 5 being the Phoenix Eye 2 platform (Jianbing-8).

And yes, it's a new orbit regime for the Yaogan series, with quite a few pieces of debris catalogued.

[William Graham]

Has the upper stage been catalogued or not?

[Phillip Clark]

Has the upper stage been catalogued or not?

Here are the objects catalogued to date:

Catalogue      Orbital      Orbital    Orbital  Perigee    Apogee   Arg of
  Number        Epoch     Inclination   Period                     Perigee
                              deg         min      km        km      deg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
34839       2009 Apr 22.16   97.65       94.63      485       517    312
34839       2009 Apr 22.24   97.64       94.69      487       520    323
34839       2009 Apr 22.39   97.64       94.70      487       521    322
34839       2009 Apr 22.52   97.63       94.69      486       521    321


34840       2009 Apr 22.16   97.61       94.71      430       580    320
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.49   97.61       94.77      431       584    321


34841       2009 Apr 22.16   97.83       96.00      488       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.30   97.82       96.03      491       646    219
34841       2009 Apr 22.37   97.84       96.04      491       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.50   97.84       96.03      491       646    221


34842       2009 Apr 22.23   97.43       93.39      343       538    315
34842       2009 Apr 22.43   97.41       93.39      342       538    314
34842       2009 Apr 22.58   97.40       93.39      343       538    313


34843       2009 Apr 22.23   97.91       93.31      329       543    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.31   97.87       93.32      332       542    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.42   97.83       93.30      337       535    316
34843       2009 Apr 22.51   97.83       93.31      336       538    315

[jan_carlo_bascu]

Yaogan-6 Launch Video

http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/worldwidewatch/2009/04/worldwidewatch_300_20090422_18.shtml

[jcm]

Has the upper stage been catalogued or not?

Here are the objects catalogued to date:

Catalogue      Orbital      Orbital    Orbital  Perigee    Apogee   Arg of
  Number        Epoch     Inclination   Period                     Perigee
                              deg         min      km        km      deg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
34839       2009 Apr 22.16   97.65       94.63      485       517    312
34839       2009 Apr 22.24   97.64       94.69      487       520    323
34839       2009 Apr 22.39   97.64       94.70      487       521    322
34839       2009 Apr 22.52   97.63       94.69      486       521    321


34840       2009 Apr 22.16   97.61       94.71      430       580    320
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.49   97.61       94.77      431       584    321


34841       2009 Apr 22.16   97.83       96.00      488       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.30   97.82       96.03      491       646    219
34841       2009 Apr 22.37   97.84       96.04      491       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.50   97.84       96.03      491       646    221


34842       2009 Apr 22.23   97.43       93.39      343       538    315
34842       2009 Apr 22.43   97.41       93.39      342       538    314
34842       2009 Apr 22.58   97.40       93.39      343       538    313


34843       2009 Apr 22.23   97.91       93.31      329       543    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.31   97.87       93.32      332       542    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.42   97.83       93.30      337       535    316
34843       2009 Apr 22.51   97.83       93.31      336       538    315

It's possible that objects B-E are the second stage separation motor covers (four are often cataloged with CZ-2C launches in slightly higher orbits than the second stage itself). This could mean the second stage was suborbital as for some other Yaogan launches. Will have to look out for RCS data...

[Liss]

Yaogan-6 Launch Video

http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/worldwidewatch/2009/04/worldwidewatch_300_20090422_18.shtml

This one is probably better, having animation of solar panels deployment: http://space.tv.cctv.com/video/VIDE1240408837000110

Is the launch time 10:55:04.562 or so?