Cosmic Penguin
@cosmicpenguinov103.bsky.social
Astronomy & spaceflight weeb penguin. In a relationship w/ Space Shuttle Discovery. Starship x Space Launch System shipper. Chinese spaceflight news hunter.
After disappearing for the weekend, this launch probably from i-Space has resurfaced for NET December 15 @ 04:00-06:00 UTC:
One is from Jiuquan on December 6 ~04:00 UTC, & it looks like yet another try by private LSP i-Space to get their Hyperbola-1 on track. With a dismal record of 4 successes & 4 failures out of 8, whatever the outcome, we can expect surprises out of it (not the least the payload)!
December 8, 2025 at 5:48 AM
After disappearing for the weekend, this launch probably from i-Space has resurfaced for NET December 15 @ 04:00-06:00 UTC:
Rocket processing and mission patch:
December 6, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Rocket processing and mission patch:
Panorama views:
天宇·追箭者联盟 (@Skyfeather16)
今天下午，长八甲火箭伴着南海的波涛和云朵飞向天空😃
摄影师：Alex青草青水鸟
fixupx.com
December 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Panorama views:
Back to the LM-8A, here are the pad and drone camera views: fixupx.com/CNSpacefligh...
China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️ (@CNSpaceflight)
🚀 Liftoff at 07:53UTC on December 06, Long March 8A Y5 launched SatNet LEO Group 14 from Hainan commercial launch pad #1
Quoting China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️ (@CNSpaceflight)
A Long March 8A is ...
fixupx.com
December 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Back to the LM-8A, here are the pad and drone camera views: fixupx.com/CNSpacefligh...
Yes, it's *the* rocket that has suddenly come out of nowhere from the depths of Chinese state institutions, promising making spaceflight news headlines w/ high confidence.
The reusable Long March 12A apparently just successfully did a static fire on its launch pad at Jiuquan SLC.
The reusable Long March 12A apparently just successfully did a static fire on its launch pad at Jiuquan SLC.
December 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Yes, it's *the* rocket that has suddenly come out of nowhere from the depths of Chinese state institutions, promising making spaceflight news headlines w/ high confidence.
The reusable Long March 12A apparently just successfully did a static fire on its launch pad at Jiuquan SLC.
The reusable Long March 12A apparently just successfully did a static fire on its launch pad at Jiuquan SLC.
There wasn't any surprise for this Long March with an "A"...but 1500 miles away, another Long March rocket that has the same letter suffix, one that has literally flown under the radar for years, just provided another stunning news. And that means I have homework to crunch AGAIN!
December 6, 2025 at 8:57 AM
There wasn't any surprise for this Long March with an "A"...but 1500 miles away, another Long March rocket that has the same letter suffix, one that has literally flown under the radar for years, just provided another stunning news. And that means I have homework to crunch AGAIN!
And that means 5 launches for the LM-8A since debuting less than 10 months ago, all in support of SatNet deployment. Actually it now flew more times than the baseline LM-8! Not bad for a rocket that can lift as much as the trusted single stick Atlas V 401/501...
December 6, 2025 at 8:51 AM
And that means 5 launches for the LM-8A since debuting less than 10 months ago, all in support of SatNet deployment. Actually it now flew more times than the baseline LM-8! Not bad for a rocket that can lift as much as the trusted single stick Atlas V 401/501...
Well, no surprises from this Long March 8A launch either, as the newest group of LEO comsats (with perhaps "additional functions" for the Chinese government, SatNet LEO Group 14, got successfully deployed in orbit after lift off at 07:53 UTC.
December 6, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Well, no surprises from this Long March 8A launch either, as the newest group of LEO comsats (with perhaps "additional functions" for the Chinese government, SatNet LEO Group 14, got successfully deployed in orbit after lift off at 07:53 UTC.
LM-8A going downrange:
December 6, 2025 at 7:59 AM
LM-8A going downrange:
Actual T-0 seems to be closer to 07:53 UTC:
December 6, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Actual T-0 seems to be closer to 07:53 UTC:
T-0 is apparently pointing at 07:52 UTC:
December 6, 2025 at 7:51 AM
T-0 is apparently pointing at 07:52 UTC:
Just above ~20 minutes till launch:
December 6, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Just above ~20 minutes till launch:
5th Long March 8A rocket - very much not a shabby flight rate since debuting on February 11 this year (!) - clearly now out in the open:
December 6, 2025 at 6:04 AM
5th Long March 8A rocket - very much not a shabby flight rate since debuting on February 11 this year (!) - clearly now out in the open:
You can see from here that the conventionally designed Launch Complex 1 at Wenchang's Commercial Space Launch Site is slowing opening up with servicing platforms slowly rotating to show the LM-8A rocket out in the open:
December 6, 2025 at 5:53 AM
You can see from here that the conventionally designed Launch Complex 1 at Wenchang's Commercial Space Launch Site is slowing opening up with servicing platforms slowly rotating to show the LM-8A rocket out in the open:
Mirroring stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQr...
Live: Long March 8A SatNet LEO Group 14 Launch (No Commentary)
YouTube video by International Rocket Launches
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Mirroring stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQr...
After delayed for 2.5 weeks, this Long March 8A launch from Wenchang with most likely some LEO constellation comsats - not sure for which one - will finally occur in ~2 hours at ~07:50 UTC.
Someone's already streaming from on site: weibo.com/l/wblive/p/s...
Someone's already streaming from on site: weibo.com/l/wblive/p/s...
December 6, 2025 at 5:48 AM
After delayed for 2.5 weeks, this Long March 8A launch from Wenchang with most likely some LEO constellation comsats - not sure for which one - will finally occur in ~2 hours at ~07:50 UTC.
Someone's already streaming from on site: weibo.com/l/wblive/p/s...
Someone's already streaming from on site: weibo.com/l/wblive/p/s...
It won’t be for long, but the ZQ-3 2nd stage is still in orbit:
The one object catalogued so far from the ZhuQue-3 launch 2025-282, recorded on 2025-12-05 01:52:24 UTC.
December 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
It won’t be for long, but the ZQ-3 2nd stage is still in orbit:
BTW LandSpace has the full mission overview video posted:
LandSpace (@LandSpace_Tech)
ZhuQue-3 Y1 Reusable Launch Vehicle Launch Mission Recap
fixupx.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:14 PM
BTW LandSpace has the full mission overview video posted:
There are reports that the real losers were the cameras placed next to the landing pad for attempting to capture the probable historic moment that very nearly happened here…
Ace of Razgriz (@raz_liu)
Pad win , road lost
fixupx.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
There are reports that the real losers were the cameras placed next to the landing pad for attempting to capture the probable historic moment that very nearly happened here…
And the liftoff part:
December 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
And the liftoff part:
Rocket camera from Zhuque-3!
(credit: LandSpace)
(credit: LandSpace)
December 5, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Rocket camera from Zhuque-3!
(credit: LandSpace)
(credit: LandSpace)
BTW the (almost certainly) Hyperbola-1 launch that should have been launched from this very same pad barely 19 hours after this KZ-1A has been delayed with NOTAMs cancelled, let's see if it's just a 1-for-1 day delay due to KZ-1A slipping from yesterday.
One is from Jiuquan on December 6 ~04:00 UTC, & it looks like yet another try by private LSP i-Space to get their Hyperbola-1 on track. With a dismal record of 4 successes & 4 failures out of 8, whatever the outcome, we can expect surprises out of it (not the least the payload)!
December 5, 2025 at 2:10 PM
BTW the (almost certainly) Hyperbola-1 launch that should have been launched from this very same pad barely 19 hours after this KZ-1A has been delayed with NOTAMs cancelled, let's see if it's just a 1-for-1 day delay due to KZ-1A slipping from yesterday.
Updated list of successful launches of the Kuaizhou-1A since its debut in January 2017:
m.weibo.cn/detail/52405...
m.weibo.cn/detail/52405...
December 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Updated list of successful launches of the Kuaizhou-1A since its debut in January 2017:
m.weibo.cn/detail/52405...
m.weibo.cn/detail/52405...
It looks like CASIC/ExPace got a new TEL truck for Kuaizhou-1A at Jiuquan (perhaps the old one really got written off?) and they finally got it shown off this time:
December 5, 2025 at 12:45 PM
It looks like CASIC/ExPace got a new TEL truck for Kuaizhou-1A at Jiuquan (perhaps the old one really got written off?) and they finally got it shown off this time: