China Launches Yaogan 34-02 on Long March 4C

CZ-4C Launches Yaogan 34-02

On Thursday, March 17 at 3:09am EDT (7:09UTC), China launched the Yaogan 34-02 satellite atop a Long March 4C rocket from Site 9401 at the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Yaogan is a constellation of remote sensing reconnaissance satellites. They have been said to be used for urban planning and similar uses, but they are likely used for millitary purposes. Like most Chinese satellites, the exact uses are unknown. On this flight, it appears that new third stage capabilities were tested. It appears that the third stage now has solar arrays and shut down for the primary payload to separate and then ignited again to get the secondary payload to its proper orbit. This was the 41st Long March 4C launch and the 28th orbital launch attempt of 2022.