Launches / Smart Dragon 3

Past launch Launched successfully

SatNet test satellite

Smart Dragon 3, flown by China Rocket Co. Ltd.

Smart Dragon 3 lifting off with the SatNet test satellite mission
Image via The Space Devs.

This was China Rocket Co. Ltd.'s 3rd launch of 2026, and its 12th in all.

Counting every operator, it was the 83rd orbital launch attempt anywhere in 2026, and the second from South China Sea (launch location 3).

Launched
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 11:32 a.m. UTC
Window
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 11:22 to 11:47 a.m. UTC
Launch site
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Rocket
Smart Dragon 3
Operator
China Rocket Co. Ltd.

The mission

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite". Probable 1 (?) test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO communication satellite constellation SatNet.

Type
Communications
Destination
Polar orbit

The rocket

Smart Dragon-3 is a solid fuel orbital rocket designed by a subsidiary of the state-owned CASC group built for the commercial market.

The operator

China Rocket Co. Ltd.

China Rocket Co. Ltd. is a spinoff of China’s state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer using a “commercial business model”.

Sector
Commercial
Based in
China

13 launches so far, 13 of them successful. The last 13 in a row went to plan.

The launch site

It went up from South China Sea (launch location 3) at Haiyang Oriental Spaceport.

See the pad on a map →

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