Ziyuan-3 04 - CZ-4B - Taiyuan - December 16, 2025 (03:17 UTC)

[mikezang]

The NOTAM for CZ-4B from Taiyuan, the paylod might be Haiyan-4B.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Additional NOTAM zone within China confirms launch on December 16 and it being pretty likely of a CZ-4 series.

[mikezang]

[mikezang]

The VVHM NOTAM updated!

[mikezang]

Launched?!

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Official launch success confirmation: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5244443548713127

https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Penguin/status/2000776638028509662

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Official launch success confirmation:

With that fairing disintegration?
Not likely.

These are disposable thermal blankets attached to the exterior of the payload fairing and selected parts of the rocket to keep thermal control of those parts (e.g. under cold weather for this launch). It looks weird but this is how the Chinese use them for decades apparently, and is normal.

(a similar usage can be found on the older Ariane 1-4 series of rockets from Arianespace)

[sandha]

Official launch success confirmation:

With that fairing disintegration?
Not likely.

In the immortal words of William H. Macy's character from the movie 'Fargo': "What da heck d'ya mean?"

Genearlly a good practice to look into past launches of the same type before making suggestive comments.

[jimvela]

Official launch success confirmation:

With that fairing disintegration?
Not likely.

Genearlly a good practice to look into past launches of the same type before making suggestive comments.

Agreed. Low SNR reply gone, quoting left for context

[catdlr]

[TheKutKu]

The ZY-3 04 satellite is an operational satellite under the National Civil Space Infrastructure Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan. Equipped with a three-line array stereo mapping camera, a multispectral camera, and a laser altimeter, it can acquire high-resolution stereo and multispectral imagery. ZY-3 04 will form an operational satellite network with the already operational ZY-3 02 and 03 satellites, primarily serving to meet the needs of large-scale stereo mapping production and updating basic geographic information products. It will provide high-precision data products for key natural resource operations such as geographic information resource construction, natural resource surveys and monitoring, land spatial planning and land use control, and natural resource supervision and enforcement.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is responsible for the organization and management of the satellite project, coordination of major matters, and approval of launch permits. The CNSA Earth Observation and Data Center undertakes the overall project work. The Ministry of Natural Resources is the lead user department, and the National Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources is responsible for the construction of the application system and the development of related applications. The launch site system and the telemetry, tracking, and command system are responsible for launch and telemetry, tracking, and command operations. The China Resources Satellite Application Center and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are responsible for the construction and operation of the ground system. The China Academy of Space Technology and the Shanghai Academy of Space Technology of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation are respectively responsible for the overall development of the satellite system and the launch vehicle system.

https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6758823/n6758838/c10722622/content.html

2025-300A    67131    ZIYUAN 3-04 (ZY 3-04)    94.45    97.50    500    484    0.0011082       1.48
2025-300B    67132    CZ-4B R/B    92.10    97.56    495    260    0.0173790       1.04

[Satori]

China Focus: China launches satellite to enhance survey, mapping service capabilities.

China on Tuesday sent a new satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi, in a move to enhance the country's survey and mapping service capabilities.