China added a third trio of spacecraft to its Yaogan-40 remote sensing satellite group on September 6th, 2025, marking its 52nd launch of the year. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off at 12:34 p.m. Eastern (1634 UTC) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) announced mission success, identifying the payload as the Yaogan-40 (03) satellites.
SAST stated the satellites will perform electromagnetic environment detection and related technical tests. DFH Satellite Co., Ltd, under CASC’s China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), developed the spacecraft. While initial U.S. space domain awareness reports did not catalog the satellites, they are anticipated to join two earlier groups in near-circular, 850-kilometer-altitude orbits inclined by 86 degrees, consistent with pre-launch navigation warnings of a near-polar orbit launch.
Analysis suggests the previous Yaogan-40 groups formed equilateral triangle formations post-orbit raising, possibly for radio frequency monitoring and geolocation. The "Yaogan" series is believed to serve both military and civilian users, potentially including optical imaging, SAR, and ELINT capabilities. The mission's stated purposes align with typical descriptions: land survey, crop yield estimation, environmental management, meteorological forecasting, and disaster reduction, alongside the stated “electromagnetic environment detection and related tests.”
This launch brings China closer to exceeding its 2024 record of 68 orbital launches in a single year. This follows recent launches of a Long March 3C carrying Shiyan-29 and a Ceres-1 rocket. Further launches are expected in the coming days, including a potential sea launch from the Dongfang Hangtiangang barge and a Long March 7A launch from Wenchang.