A Chinese Long March 2D (CZ-2D) rocket built by SAST (Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology) and operated by the quasi-military CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp) put Shiyan-13 – officially a technology test satellite – into orbit at 0235 GMT on 17 January 2021. The launch was from the Taiyuan launch site. The satellite was placed into an orbit inclined at 97.7 degrees, an indication of a possible imaging or radar satellite, but the exact use has not been disclosed. According to Space News, the spacecraft was built by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). This is the first launch by China in 2022. Last year, according to the Seradata SpaceTrak launch and satellite database, China was the number one orbital launch nation with 56 launches including a fractionally orbital hypersonic glide test launch.
