China launches a trio of reconnaissance satellites from Gobi Desert

China added to its space reconnaissance capabilities with the launch of a trio of satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center last week.

A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Friday (Jan. 29) at 12:47 p.m. local time (0447 GMT; 11:47 p.m. Jan. 28 EST), according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), China’s main space contractor.

The rocket sent three Yaogan 31 satellites into orbits of about 680 miles (1,100 kilometers) in altitude and inclined by 63 degrees. This means the satellites pass over the Earth as far north as southern Alaska and as far south as the South Shetland Islands, just north of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The two-stage Long March 2C rocket, fueled by liquid hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants, delivered the three Yaogan 30 satellites to a 370-mile-high (595-kilometer) orbit inclined 35 degrees to the equator, according to U.S. military tracking data.

The satellites are the seventh triplet of Yaogan 30-type spacecraft since 2017 launched on Long March 2C rockets from the Xichang facility into similar orbits. The three Yaogan 30-07 satellites launched Monday are designed for remote sensing of the “electromagnetic environment” from their orbit 370 miles above Earth, Xinhua said.

The Chinese government uses the Yaogan name for the country’s military satellites, and the Yaogan 30 family is believed to be designed for a signals intelligence mission.

Some analysts suggested the Yaogan 30 family of satellites could be testing new electronic eavesdropping equipment, or helping the Chinese military track U.S. and other foreign naval deployments. But details about the spacecraft and their missions have not been disclosed by the Chinese government.

A fourth payload hitched a ride to space on the Long March 2C rocket Monday. The small satellite, named Tianqi 6, was launched for the Beijing-based company Guodian Gaoke on a mission to provide commercial data relay services.