Recent activity in space programs highlights the increasing capabilities of both China and India. China launched a new Yaogan reconnaissance satellite late Sunday, shortly after India launched its heaviest communications satellite to date.
A Long March 7A rocket successfully lifted off at 10:47 p.m. Eastern, Nov. 2 (0347 UTC, Nov. 3) from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, located on Hainan Island. According to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the launch was a success, revealing the payload to be the Yaogan-46 satellite. This satellite is expected to enter geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and later adjust to a geostationary position, approximately 35,786 kilometers above the equator. Currently, orbital data remains undisclosed.
While most previous Yaogan satellites have been deployed to low Earth or sun-synchronous orbits, China already operates the Gaofen-4 optical and Land Exploration-4 01 (Ludi Tance-4 (01)) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites in geostationary orbit. The Yaogan-46 was developed by CASC’s China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). CASC stated the satellite will be used in areas such as disaster prevention, land resource surveying, water conservancy, and meteorology. This statement is slightly different from the usual description for the series, which typically emphasizes scientific experiments, land resource surveys, and disaster prevention. It is widely believed that the Yaogan series serves as China’s designation for its military reconnaissance satellites, including optical imaging, SAR satellites, and electronic intelligence gathering.
The September launch of Yaogan-45 also utilized a Long March 7A rocket. That mission, however, went to medium Earth orbit (MEO), marking the first time the 7A was used for something other than GTO. Yaogan-45 is now in a circular 7,500-kilometer altitude MEO, according to ISR University, placing it within the Van Allen radiation belt with peak high-energy proton density. GPS, Galileo, and Beidou satellites operate at around 20,000 km.
This launch marks the fifth time the Long March 7 series has launched within a year. These rockets were developed by CASC’s China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). The first Long March 7 launched in 2016, followed by the first Long March 7A in 2020, which unfortunately failed. However, the subsequent 10 launches have been successful. CASC aims to increase launch cadence to meet high launch demands, but the rocket doesn’t appear ready to replace the Long March 3B.
The satellite launch occurred after the Shenzhou-21 crewed mission to Tiangong. The Yaogan-46 mission was China’s 68th orbital launch attempt of 2025, equalling its record from 2024. Following this, the launch of a CAS Space Lijian-1 solid rocket is scheduled, and a Long March 12 launch will follow on Nov. 10.
Earlier Sunday, India launched its CMS-03 communication satellite using an LVM-3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The satellite successfully entered GTO approximately 16 minutes after liftoff. According to the ISRO mission brochure, the CMS-03, weighing 4,410 kilograms, is the heaviest communication satellite launched into GTO from Indian soil. Due to its weight exceeding the LVM-3's standard capacity, the satellite will conduct orbit raising to reach GEO. Once in position, the multi-band satellite will provide coverage of India and the surrounding oceanic region for the Indian Navy, enabling real-time communications for air defense and strategic command control, as reported by Indian media.
According to ISRO, this launch marked the fifth operational flight of the LVM-3. The previous launch carried the Chandrayaan-3 lunar spacecraft, making India the fourth country to achieve a successful soft landing on the moon. The LVM3 is also being prepared for the Gaganyaan project. This launch was India’s fourth orbital launch attempt of 2025. The first uncrewed test flight for Gaganyaan could take place in December, while a PSLV launch is also scheduled for December.