Anonymous Sea Launch Reaches Low Earth Orbit [Long March 11H]

An optical testing trio has been delivered to low Earth orbit.

A Long March 11H blasting off from its sea-launch platform near Haiyang on November 8th/9th.

At 05:01 am China Standard Time on November 9th (21:01 pm Universal Coordinated Time on November 8th), a very anonymous, but spectacular, Long March 11H blasted off from a sea-launch platform from the waters near Haiyang (海阳市), Shandong (山东) province. A trio of satellites was onboard for a delivery into low Earth orbit.

Atop of the rocket were three Shiyan test satellites, designated as Shiyan-32-01, 02, and 03 (试验三十二号卫星01星,02星,03星). The Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院微小卫星创新研究院) developed the satellites and will primarily be used to test new optical technologies, which could be for either imaging or satellite-to-satellite data terminals.

Shiyan (试验) is a satellite designation used for technology development spacecraft, and the name literally translates to test or experiment. Shijian (实践) is a similar designation for more mature technology tests.

Ascent of the Long March 11 on November 8th/9th as seen from Haiyang behind its flight path.

The patch for the Long March 11H’s launch mission on November 8th/9th.

Many hours after launch, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the vehicle’s developer, stated that launch teams are working to improve the reliability of systems and components on the launch vehicle. This was the first time the Long March 11H has flown in almost two years, previously flying from near Yangjiang (阳江市), Guangdong (广东) Province, in December 2023.

Today’s mission was the 6th launch of the Long March 11H (sea-launch variant), the 18th flight of the Long March 11 rocket, and the 606th launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 70th launch from China in 2025.

Liftoff video via 菠萝阿姨 on Weibo.

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Check out China’s previous sea-launch

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What is the Long March 11?

This section is for those less familiar with China’s Long March series of launch vehicles.

The Long March 11 is the smallest Long March vehicle, in terms of size and lift capability, currently in service, and was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. All four stages of the Long March 11 burn an unknown solid propellant.

The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is currently as follows:

• 700 kilograms to low Earth orbit

• 350 kilograms to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

The Long March 11 during first-stage flight for a previous mission.

At ignition, the Long March 11 is powered by a solid rocket motor burning an unknown solid propellant to generate 122 tons of thrust; the three other stages have no publicly known details.

On the launchpad, the Long March 11 stands at 20.8 meters tall and weighs 58,000 kilograms when prepped for launch. The first and second-stage have a diameter of 2 meters, while the fairings, third, and fourth stages have a diameter of 1.6 meters.

So far, the Long March 11 has flown from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and various sea launch platforms.

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