China has launched three more reconnaissance satellites or also known as spy satellites into orbit, as per Space.com's report.
On Friday, Oct. 14, a Long March 2D rocket was launched from the southern Chinese city of Xichang to send the three spy satellites into space at 3:12 p.m. EDT.
Three Yaogan 36 series satellites were reportedly carried by a rocket. According to CCTV+, the satellites were successfully launched into their intended orbit.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - APRIL 27: In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, on April 27, 2022 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission is the fourth crew rotation of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti launched at 3:52 a.m. ET.
The purpose of the recently launched trio is unclear because China withholds information about the Yaogan satellites, whose name translates to "remote sensing."
The Chinese state media reports that the spacecraft collects scientific data to aid researchers in a variety of activities, including land surveys and the monitoring of agricultural productivity.
Western experts, however, claim that Yaogan satellites also gather imagery for Chinese military purposes, as per Space.com.
The Yaogan 36's launch was held together with another significant launch that day after the SpaceX Crew-4 astronaut mission made its 5.5-month return to Earth on Friday.
Read also: US Military Accuses Russia's Satellite 'Kosmos 2558' Of Shadowing US Spy Satellite By Just 37 Feet!
China Completes Final Module of Space Station
Last week, a propeller was included in the third and final module of China's space station as it gears for its launch into orbit later this month.
The Mengtian experiment module, which landed at the Wenchang spaceport on the southern island of Hainan in August, has already undergone assembly and testing.
Mengtian will utilize the propellant to help it locate and dock with the two presently orbiting Tiangong space station modules. China launched the Tianhe core module into orbit in April of last year and the Wentian experiment module into orbit in July of this year.
Mengtian, which translates to "Dreaming of the Heavens," is a structure that is 58.7 feet (17.9 meters) long and weighs around 48,500 pounds (22 tons). It was built primarily to house a variety of science racks and experiments.
The new module will be relocated from a forward docking port to a lateral port after docking at Tiangong using a specially designed powered mechanical device, similar to how the Wentian module was moved on September 30.
Related Article: China: Wentian Module Docks on Tiangong Space Station-Focusing on Research, More Room for Sleep
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
