Within a 48-hour window spanning September 5–7, 2025 (Beijing Time), China executed a tightly sequenced campaign of orbital launches across three sites—Xichang, Jiuquan, and Taiyuan—using three different vehicles: Long March-3C (with YZ-1), CERES-1, and Long March-6A. Payloads included Shiyan-29 (tech-demo/space environment), a three-smallsat rideshare (Kaiyun-1, Yuxing-3-08, Yunyao-1-27), and the Yaogan-40 Group 03 remote-sensing trio (EM environment detection). The cadence and payload mix point squarely to a maturing Chinese space ecosystem geared for dual-use ISR/SIGINT and resilient comms.
Key points
Three launches, three vehicles, three sites; hours apart across two days.
Tech-demo (Shiyan-29), smallsat comms/atmo/tech-demo (Kaiyun/Yuxing/Yunyao), and EM-sensing ISR (Yaogan-40 03).
592nd and 593rd Long March missions bookend the campaign, underscoring industrial scale.
Timeline and Mission Facts
Shiyan-29 (Experiment-29) — Xichang, Long March-3C + Yuanzheng-1
Liftoff: 10:34 a.m. (Beijing Time), September 5.
Role: space-environment exploration and technology verification.
Noted as the 592nd Long March mission.
CERES-1 (Galactic Energy) — Jiuquan, solid-fuel microlauncher
Liftoff: 7:39 p.m. (Beijing Time), September 5; 3 satellites: Kaiyun-1, Yuxing-3-08, Yunyao-1-27 inserted to SSO.
Manufacturer notes: ~20 m tall, ~33 t liftoff mass; ~300 kg to 500 km SSO.
Company claims: the mission marked Ceres-1 flight #21; China’s 52nd national launch of 2025 at that point.
Yaogan-40 Group 03 — Taiyuan, Long March-6A (official notices also describe a “modified Long March-6”)
Liftoff: 00:34 a.m. (Beijing Time), September 7; Group 03 entered preset orbits.
Use: electromagnetic environment detection and related technical tests; widely regarded by outside analysts as military remote-sensing/SIGINT.
Counted as the 593rd Long March mission.
Launch Systems: Technical Notes and Why They Matter
Long March-3C + YZ-1 (LM-3C/YZ-1)
Proven medium-class GTO/HEO workhorse; the YZ-1 upper stage enables multi-burn injection and precise drop-offs—useful for tech-demo payloads like Shiyan-29 that may require tailored orbits.
CERES-1 (Galactic Energy)
Commercial, all-solid four-stage microlauncher optimized for rapid prep and low infrastructure needs. China Daily lists performance (300 kg to 500 km SSO) and highlights growing commercial-state integration in China’s space sector. For defense, a proliferating Ceres-1 cadence offers surge responsiveness for replenishing tactical LEO assets.
Long March-6A (LM-6A/CZ-6A)
Medium-lift, first Chinese rocket with solid strap-on boosters; 2×YF-100 kerolox engines on the first stage and a YF-115 on the second. Ideal for multi-satellite SSO deployments such as Yaogan-40 series. (Official wires call it “modified Long March-6”; independent trackers & databases list LM-6A for this mission.)
Payloads and Constellations
Shiyan-29
Officially a test satellite for space environment exploration and tech verification. Shiyan platforms historically incubate sensors, buses, and avionics that later scale into operational constellations—bridging civil R&D with dual-use ISR requirements.
Kaiyun-1, Yuxing-3-08, Yunyao-1-27 (CERES-1 ride-share)
Company statements emphasize atmospheric data (temperature, humidity, pressure), remote-sensing, and in-orbit demos—a profile consistent with agile LEO comms/EO nodes that can double as data-relay or environmental-sensing layers for tactical C4ISR.
Yaogan-40 Group 03
Official purpose: EM environment detection and technical tests; externally characterized as remote-sensing/SIGINT. The Yaogan brand is widely viewed as the backbone of China’s operational ISR grid (EO/IR, radar, maritime tracking, and ELINT).
Operational Tempo and Industrial Base
The back-to-back LM-3C → CERES-1 → LM-6A sequence exemplifies distributed launch operations (Xichang/Jiuquan/Taiyuan) and vehicle diversity spanning solid and liquid families—key to resilience under stress.
China Daily’s tally placed CERES-1’s flight amid the country’s 52nd space launch of 2025; the Yaogan liftoff logged the 593rd Long March mission, pointing to sustained cadence and deep supply-chain health.
Military Use Cases (Analyst Assessment)
The following are expert inferences derived from open-source launches, official payload purposes, and historical Yaogan/Shiyan roles.
Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) & A2/AD
A Yaogan-centered ISR mesh can cue over-the-horizon (OTH) sensors and maritime patrol assets to fix and track carrier groups across the Philippine Sea and South China Sea, reinforcing A2/AD constructs beyond the First Island Chain.
Precision Strike Targeting
Space-based EM detection (Yaogan-40) fused with EO/SAR from sibling constellations can close the find-fix-finish loop for long-range ASBMs and LACMs by reducing time-to-target and improving mid-course updates. (Inference based on payload descriptions and known PLA kill-chain doctrine.)
Electronic Intelligence & Counter-EW Preparation
EM-sensing packages help map adversary radar orders of battle, GNSS interference zones, and SATCOM links, enabling preplanned electronic attack and deception. (Inference aligned with official “electromagnetic environment detection” roles.)
Resilient Tactical Communications
Smallsat clusters like Yunyao can underpin LEO mesh relays that maintain C2/C4ISR under jamming or kinetic attrition, complementing ground and aerial nodes. (Inference based on manufacturer descriptions.)
Indo-Pacific Scenario Playbook (Condensed)
Phase 0/Shape: Shiyan-heritage sensors validate new collection modes; Yaogan provides pattern-of-life on naval movements.
Phase 1/Deter-Signal: Rapid smallsat top-ups (CERES-1) expand revisit, harden comms, and backstop theater SATCOM.
Phase 2/Denial: Integrated MDA + ELINT cue anti-ship/anti-air assets; ISR feeds long-range missile brigades.
Phase 3/Counter-Interdiction: LEO relays mitigate GNSS/SATCOM degradation; EM maps steer counter-EW and decoys.
Phase 4/Assessment: Space-based BDA (battle damage assessment) updates targeting rapidly for subsequent salvos.
China vs. the West: Capability Contrast
United States: Commercial-first ecosystem (e.g., SpaceX) underwrites unmatched launch reuse and mega-constellation scale; DoD leverages commercial LEO networks for tactical comms. China counters with state-commercial integration and multi-site surge capacity. (Context on Starlink scale and Chinese commercial ambitions.)
Europe: Ariane/Vega cadence constraints leave a gap versus China’s high-tempo, multi-vehicle options—particularly in rapid smallsat replenishment. (Analyst judgment.)
Russia: Sanctions and funding stress dampen cadence and modernization; China’s LM-6A strand offers higher-throughput SSO deployments for ISR growth. (Analyst judgment using open launch logs.)
Risks, Limitations, and Countermeasures
Opacity: Official disclosures (e.g., “tech tests,” “EM detection”) complicate precise capability mapping. Cross-referencing trackers (LM-6A vs. “modified LM-6”) is essential.
Space Traffic & Debris: Growth in smallsat shells demands tighter SSA/STM to avoid collision cascades (inference; industry-wide).
Allied Counters: Hardening (LPI/LPD waveforms), PNT resilience (M-code/ALT-PNT), and cognitive EW against Chinese downlinks; proliferated LEO for redundancy; deception to corrupt kill-chains (analyst recommendations).
Industry & Procurement Angle
CASC/SAST deepen their portfolio from heavy Long March cores to agile LM-6A SSO missions.
Galactic Energy’s CERES-1 shows commercial-state interoperability, with published specs and mission cadence aimed at dependable rideshare access—important for cost-effective constellation densification.
