CAS Pathfinder-1
Long March 2D · China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation · Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603)
Overview
Launch successful
Long March 2D lifted off on Wed 11 Nov 2026, 11:41 UTC and the launch was a success: the rocket did what it was meant to do.
- Rocket
- Long March 2D
- Provider
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
- Launch pad
- Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603)
- Location
- Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
- Launch time
- Wed 11 Nov 2026, 11:41 UTC
- Launch window
- Wed 11 Nov 2026, 11:32 UTC to Wed 11 Nov 2026, 12:05 UTC
- Mission type
- Technology
- Orbit
- Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Live updates
We did not post live updates for this launch.
Discussion
The discussion for this launch opens a little before liftoff. Until then you can talk about launches in the community.
Rockets and launchesMission
The Chinese Academy of Science (CAS)' Pathfinder-1 satellites is built for in-orbit validation of critical technologies for the upcoming main missions of CAS' "Origins” Space Science Program, which consists of 4 upcoming astronomical observatory missions to be launched by 2030: * Discovering the Sky at the Longest wavelength (DSL * Solar Polar Orbit Observatory (SPO) * Earth 2.0 (ET) * Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) The mission consists of a main satellite and 3 sub-satellites, the later of which flies in formation to demonstrate a low frequency radio astronomy interferometry instrument. The main satellite also contains the following science instrument: * Very Large Area Gamma-ray Space Telescope Pathfinder (VLAST-P) * a magnetometer (MHI) * an upper atmosphere LiDAR (HiRAL) * a Langmuir Probe (LMP) * a space weather monitor (SWEM)
Description from the launch provider, passed on by Launch Library, The Space Devs.