Sizeable TJSW Spacecraft Heads for Geostationary Space via Wenchang [Long March 5 Y11]
Another addition to the experimental communications fleet has been carried into orbit inside of a massive fairing.
Departing at 15:30 pm China Standard Time (07:30 am Universal Coordinated Time) on June 11th from Launch Complex 101 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, a Long March 5 flew towards geostationary space carrying a single satellite inside its sizable fairing.
Heading into orbit via the launch vehicle was the China Academy of Space Technology built TJSW-25 (通信技术试验卫星二十五号) spacecraft, known as Communication Technology Experimental Satellite-25 in English. Just like the many other satellites of its fleet, it is tasked with demonstrating multi-band, high-throughput communications technologies for radio, television, and data transmission.
TJSW-25 is the second of its line to launch this year, a few weeks after May’s TJSW-24 also lifted off from Wenchang. Both spacecraft are part of a significant expansion of the communications technology demonstration fleet, as nine TJSW spacecraft were deployed in 2025.
Speaking on improvements to the Long March 5’s pre-flight preparation work, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology shared that testing time on the launch pad has been shortened from six days to four, while manufacturer of the four boosters, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, mentioned overall optimizations in handling and storing each of the stages. Those and further improvements will be needed to hit a goal of up to ten missions per year.
Additionally, the launch vehicle’s 18.5-meter-long fairing was in use for its fifth time to date, allowing larger satellites to be carried into space. The longer fairing has been used to secure the TJSW-23 satellite in December 2025, the TJSW-20 spacecraft in October 2025, and the TJSW-11 satellite in February 2024. It was first used for Yaogan-41 in December 2023.
Today’s launch was the 11th mission for the Long March 5, the 18th launch for the Long March 5 series, and the 650th launch of the Long March launch vehicle series. This was also the 39th launch from China in 2026.
Liftoff video via 我们的太空 on WeChat and ThatSpaceDogeGuy on Twitter.
Launch livestream via ThatSpaceDogeGuy on YouTube.
Check out the previous Long March 5 launch
What is the Long March 5?
This section is for those less familiar with China’s Long March series of launch vehicles.
The Long March 5 is China’s largest and most capable launch vehicle currently in service, and was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, with the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology providing the boosters. The two-and-a-half-stage launch vehicle is fuelled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in its first and second stages, along with rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen in four boosters.
The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is currently as follows:
15,000 kilograms to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit
14,000 kilograms to a geostationary transfer orbit
13,000 kilograms to medium Earth orbit
9,400 kilograms to a trans-lunar trajectory
6,700 kilograms to a 2,000-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit
6,000 kilograms to a trans-Martian trajectory
5,100 kilograms to geostationary orbit
The Long March 5’s first-stage is powered by two YF-77 engines, which produce 143 tons of thrust using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. To assist with liftoff, the rocket is equipped with four side boosters, each powered by two YF-100 engines that generate 245 tons of thrust using rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen, providing a combined booster thrust of 979 tons. Together, the first-stage and boosters deliver a total thrust of 1,122 tons. The second stage features two YF-75D engines, generating 18 tons of thrust with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
On the launchpad, the Long March 5 stands up to 63.2 meters tall, with the longer of its two fairing options, and weighs around 851,800 kilograms fully fuelled. The first and second stages have a diameter of 5 meters, while the four boosters have a diameter of 3.35 meters, and the fairing has a diameter of 5.2 meters.
So far, the Long March 5 has only flown from the Wenchang Space Launch Site, on the east coast of Hainan province.
