Shiyan-6-03 - CZ-4B - Taiyuan - April 8, 2021 (23:01 UTC)

[otter]

Orbital launch from Jiuquan?

A0591/21 NOTAMN
Q) ZLHW/QRTCA/IV/BO/W/000/999/3322N10932E016
A) ZLHW B) 2104082254 C) 2104082317
E) A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY: N333737E1092429-N333126E1094916-N330940E1093441-N331420E1091612 BACK TO START.
ALL ACFT SHALL BE FORBIDDEN TO FLY INTO THE RESTRICTED AREA. VERTICAL LIMITS:GND-UNL.
F) GND G) UNL
Issue Date UTC: 04/06/2021 0945

[input~2]

Orbital launch from Jiuquan?

A0591/21 NOTAMN
Q) ZLHW/QRTCA/IV/BO/W/000/999/3322N10932E016
A) ZLHW B) 2104082254 C) 2104082317
E) A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY: N333737E1092429-N333126E1094916-N330940E1093441-N331420E1091612 BACK TO START.
ALL ACFT SHALL BE FORBIDDEN TO FLY INTO THE RESTRICTED AREA. VERTICAL LIMITS:GND-UNL.
F) GND G) UNL
Issue Date UTC: 04/06/2021 0945

Looks more like a launch from Taiyuan, April 8 ~23:00 UTC

[input~2]

0n 9ifly forum some guess that it could be a launch for Tianhui 2 Group 02 with CZ-4B due to similar launch time with Tianhui 2 Group 01


 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

0n 9ifly forum some guess that it could be a launch for Tianhui 2 Group 02 with CZ-4B due to similar launch time with Tianhui 2 Group 01

That would require some big dog-legs per the same forum's members' measurements (4 deg. or so).

Alternatively someone (not sure if insider or not) claims it's Shiyan 6-03 - the previous 2 satellites of the same series were launched on CZ-2Ds from Jiuquan, maybe this one's going for a different orbit or there's something related to the recent rocket launch site swaps due to drop zones? 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

OK this is weird, a second closure notice was issued today which is completely the same except for closure times moving 30 minutes late (23:24 - 23:47 UTC)...and the old notice still stands. 

I've no idea what this means... 

A0607/21 - A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED
BY:N333737E1092429-N333126E1094916-N330940E1093441-N331420E1091612
BACK TO START. ALL ACFT SHALL BE FORBIDDEN TO FLY INTO THE
RESTRICTED AREA. VERTICAL LIMITS:GND-UNL. GND - UNL, 08 APR 23:24 2021 UNTIL
08 APR 23:47 2021. CREATED: 07 APR 08:43 2021

[input~2]

OK this is weird, a second closure notice was issued today which is completely the same except for closure times moving 30 minutes late (23:24 - 23:47 UTC)...and the old notice still stands. 

I've no idea what this means... 

Maybe they just forgot to cancel the old one and it's still there due to the unattained timeslot

[Bean Kenobi]

OK this is weird, a second closure notice was issued today which is completely the same except for closure times moving 30 minutes late (23:24 - 23:47 UTC)...and the old notice still stands. 

I've no idea what this means... 

Maybe they just forgot to cancel the old one and it's still there due to the unattained timeslot

Or couldn't it be 2 valid NOTAMs for 2 back-to-back launches ? Like 2 KZ-1As with JL-1 Gaofen 2D and 2F for example ?

[PM3]

So far there is no confirmation at all of an orbital launch. Could as well be ICBM test(s). Taiyuan is China's primary ICBM test launch site.

[zubenelgenubi]

So far there is no confirmation at all of an orbital launch. Could as well be ICBM test(s). Taiyuan is China's primary ICBM test launch site.

Aren't the ICBM tests primarily flown west towards Lop Nor, etc.?

[PM3]

spaceflightfans.cn has joined the speculations and guesses that this will be CZ-4C Y34, launching an unknown 2800 kg satellite to 500 km SSO.

http://www.spaceflightfans.cn/event/long-march-4c-rocket?instance_id=4591

Should launch in ~4 hours according to the second NOTAM or 3.5 hours to the first.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

And...it was successfully launched.

It was indeed Shiyan-6-03 on Long March 4B as rumored some days earlier (a change from the first two of the series on Long March 2Ds at Jiuquan). T-0 was 23:01 UTC.

[Conexion Espacial]

Launch!!

[Conexion Espacial]

[Conexion Espacial]

[Conexion Espacial]

Video for Launch!
https://twitter.com/conexionspacial/status/1380310461644689415

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Hmm...for some reason the mission booklet was released for this launch.

As expected by the switch of rockets and air space closure zones, SY-6-03 is indeed going to a higher orbit than previous satellites of the series, SSO at 1000 km altitude & 99.5 deg. inclination.

[otter]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/09/c_139868003.htm
Xinhua| 2021-04-09 07:33:48

China launches new satellite for space environment survey

TAIYUAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent an experiment satellite into planned orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province Friday.

The satellite, the third of the Shiyan-6 series, was launched by a Long March-4B carrier rocket at 7:01 a.m. (Beijing Time).

It will be used to carry out space environment survey and experiments on related technologies.

Friday's launch was the 365th by the Long March rocket series.

[jcm]

Two objects cataloged

B 992 x 1001 km x 99.5 (payload?)  48158
A 761 x 991 x 99.5 (rocket)    48157

[Fmedici]

Y29. I believe No.49 means the 49th CZ-2D launch (includes all versions CZ-2D with 3 launches, CZ-2D(2) with 45 launches and CZ-2D(2)/YZ-3 with one launch).

They just recycled the patch for the Shiyan 6-02 launch

EDIT: I don't know why the image from the original post doesn't appear, but the patch is the same with just some details and colours changed. They even left there the "49", that in that occasion indicated the 49th launch of a CZ-2D.

[Chris Bergin]

Rui's overview:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/04/china-experimental-satellite-long-march-4c/

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1380560939628498945