SpaceSail Polar Group #1

Orbited the first 18 flat-panel satellites of China's Qianfan (Thousand Sails) broadband megaconstellation into polar orbit from Taiyuan; the rocket's upper stage later broke apart, creating a cloud of over 300 pieces of tracked debris in low Earth orbit.

Outcome

Success

Orbit

PO

Polar orbit

Payload to orbit

5.4 T (est.)

Flight

7th

of 27 Long March 6A flights

Date and time

6 August 2024, 06:42 UTC

Rocket

Long March 6A

Builder

CASC

Launch site

Launch Complex 9A, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Payload

Communications

International designator

2024-140

Launches in 2024

145th of 263

See it in orbit

Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.

View satellites in Space Atlas↗