China launched to space rockets on 26 September 2022. The first up was the Long March 2D/2 (CZ-2D/2) Y68 launch of three Yaogan-36 Group 1 satellites which were launched at 1338 GMT from the Xichang launch site. Yaogan 36-01-A and B payloads were developed by CASC, while Yaogan 36-01-C was developed by SAST. The exact purpose of these remains a mystery. China says they are to be used for remote sensing. Some sources note there is a strong similarity to the Yaogan 35 series of flights which have two optical and a single radar satellite (some observers even named them Yaogan 35-06-A, B and C) and that this maybe a follow-on type.
While the mission of these satellites is primarily optical and radar reconnaissance there may also be a signals intelligence function. Note that it is reported that a deorbit sail has been placed on the rocket’s payload adapter to ensure a fast decay and re-entry.
Later the same day a Long March 6 (CZ-6) rocket successfully launched three suspected remote sensing satellites: Shiyan 16A and 16B, along with Shiyan 17 (built by DFH) from Taiyuan, China. Lift off was at 2350 GMT. The launch achieved was a 520 x 505 km sun-synchronous low Earth orbit inclined at 97.5 degrees.
