HELSINKI — China sent a new satellite into orbit for its experimental Shiyan series Thursday with a launch from the country’s southwest.
A Long March 4C rocket lifted off at 5:35 a.m. Eastern (0935 UTC) July 3 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced launch success within an hour of liftoff.
CASC’s post-launch statement revealed the payload to be Shiyan-28B (01), part of a broad experimental satellite series. Such satellites are typically classified, with no images of the spacecraft published and only a short, generic description of its purposes offered.
“The satellite will be mainly used for space environment exploration and related technology tests,” a Xinhua state media report read.
The Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS) developed Shiyan-28B (01), according to a statement. The satellite is the first of the Shiyan-28 subseries to be launched, with its designation suggesting future additions. A mission patch included three eight-pointed stars and apparent bonfire imagery.
Analysts believe Shiyan satellites are used to trial new systems such as sensors, communications subsystems and environmental instruments, forming part of China’s efforts to validate new space technologies in orbit. These satellites may act as precursors to operational platforms, verifying designs and payloads before wider deployment.
Satellites in the series appear to have been used for a range of purposes, including technology demonstrations, space environment monitoring, electronic intelligence, remote sensing, space situational awareness and space operations such as rendezvous and proximity maneuvers (RPO).
Shiyan missions are thought to be early stage technology demonstrations, while the Shijian series are considered to be on-orbit tests of validated technologies and precursor missions to operational systems.
The Shiyan-28B (01) satellite is expected to have been deployed in a low Earth orbit. It had not been cataloged by U.S. Space Force space domain awareness at time of reporting.
Many Shiyan satellites operate in low Earth or near-polar orbits, though a number have headed to geosynchronous orbits, including the possible inspector satellites Shiyan-12 (01) and (02). Shiyan-10 satellites, meanwhile, entered Molniya orbits.
The mission was China’s 36th orbital launch of the year. It follows the launch of the ChinaSat-9C communications satellite to the geostationary belt June 22.
The previous Shiyan mission saw six Shiyan-27 satellites launch on a Long March 6A rocket launched from Taiyuan spaceport, north China, in April. China launched 35 times during the first half of 2025, putting it on course to eclipse its national record of 68 orbital launch attempts in a calendar year, set in 2024. Additionally, China’s launch cadence typically increases during the second half of the year.
China’s next mission could be the launch of the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft to supply the Tiangong space station. Launch from the coastal Wenchang spaceport atop of a Long March 7 rocket is currently expected around 4:00 p.m. Eastern, July 14.
