Two Chinese Kuaizhou-1A Rockets Launch Back-to-Back Flights Just Hours Apart

China launched a six-satellite mission into space successfully on Saturday (Dec. 9), according to state-run media reports. What's more, it was the second rocket launch from the same spaceport in only six hours.

The satellites (opens in new tab) flew aboard a Kuaizhou-1A rocket at 16:52 p.m. local time (3:52 a.m. EST or 0852 GMT) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi. Footage from Chinese news provider CCTV shows the Kuaizhou-1A soaring into a pink dusk sky, with clouds dotting the background.

A Chinese Kuaizhou-1A rocket launches six satellites into orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center just six hours after a different Kuaizhou-1A launched a separate mission. (Image credit: CCTV)

The satellite group includes: HEAD-2A and HEAD-2B, which are environmental monitoring and emergency communication satellites for the Skywalker Constellation; Spacety-16 and Spacety-17, which will be used for applications such as polar monitoring and disaster prevention; and Tianqi-4A and Tianqi-4B, whose services include data transmission and emergency communications. (Tianqi-4A and Tianqi-4B are also supposed to be used for the "Internet of Things", which connects various devices to the Internet for applications that could include tracking shipments.)

Six hours before this launch, another Kuaizhou-1A rocket sent a satellite into space from Taiyuan. That satellite, called Jilin-1 Gaofen 02B, is an Earth-imaging satellite made by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd.

This sequence of two launches close together "marked a breakthrough for the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in its rapid launch and emergency launch capabilities," CCTV reported (opens in new tab). The Kuaizhou-1A satellites are built by the company ExPace, a commercial subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC)

The month of November alone was a very busy one for China, as the country launched numerous satellites in a recent weeks. In one case, the country sent two rockets aloft from two different rocket centers in only three hours. Here's a roundup of Chinese launches in October and November .

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com (opens in new tab) for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace