🚀 Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A) | 🛰 Zhongxing-3B
Launch date: May 20, 2025 11:50 UTC
Payload: Zhongxing-3B
Location: LC-201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, China
Vehicle: Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A)
On May 20, 2025, a Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A) rocket launched the Zhongxing-3B (ChinaSat-3B) communications satellite from LC-201 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site at 11:50 UTC. The launch followed a due east trajectory indicated by hazard notices, as CZ-7A completed its second flight of 2025 and tenth overall since its 2020 debut. The Zhongxing-3B adds to China’s geostationary communications network, though detailed information about the payload remains limited.
LC-201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, China
LC-201 is one of the main pads at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, China’s southernmost orbital launch complex, located on Hainan Island. Managed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), this site was constructed to accommodate larger and more advanced launch vehicles, including the Long March 7 and Long March 7A, which are used for missions such as cargo launches to the Chinese space station and deploying satellites in various orbits.
Wenchang Space Launch Site entered operation in the mid-2010s and features cutting-edge infrastructure to support China’s growing ambitions in space exploration. The site’s coastal location enables safer flight paths over the sea and facilitates the transporter-erector-rocket rollouts by ship. LC-201, as one of its active pads, plays a crucial role in China’s human spaceflight and orbital launch program, handling a significant portion of recent Chinese space station and cargo delivery missions.