China has launched two 92 kg high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites, Jilin-1 Video 07 and 08 (aka Lingqiao 1-07 and 1-08), into the preset Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Long March 11 launch took place at 0412 GMT on 19 January 2018. The satellites were built by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Ltd for the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics.
Six other sub-10 kg spacecraft were flying as co-payloads aboard the Long March 11 rocket. These included the Huaian 1 amateur communications and video imaging cubesat, the Quantutong-1 navigation and communications test nano-satellite for search-and-rescue service experiments,
four Xiaoxiang test nano-satellites, and finally the Kepler-Com-2 aka KIPP which is a test satellite for a nano-satellite communications constellation.
Two Jilin video satellites are launched from Jiuquan. Courtesy: Xinhua
