MENA Newswire, BEIJING: China’s attempt to place the Shijian-32 satellite into orbit ended in failure after a Long March-3B carrier rocket suffered malfunctions during flight, resulting in the loss of the payload, according to a statement issued by the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.
The launch took place early Saturday at 12:55 a.m. Beijing time from the Xichang facility, a major hub for missions headed to high-altitude and geostationary transfer orbits. The launch center said the rocket lifted off as planned carrying Shijian-32, described as a multirole satellite, but the mission did not achieve its intended outcome.
In a brief announcement, the launch center said the rocket encountered problems during flight and failed to deploy the satellite into its planned orbit. The statement did not specify which stage of the rocket was affected or at what point in the ascent the malfunction occurred. The center said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the failure and provided no additional technical details.
Shijian, which translates as “practice” or “experiment,” is a long-running series name used for a range of Chinese spacecraft. Public descriptions of Shijian missions have varied across decades and have included technology verification and other applications. For Shijian-32, the official statement did not provide a mission profile, operating orbit, or payload description beyond identifying it as a multirole satellite.
Investigation launched after brief official statement
The Long March-3B is among China’s most frequently used launch vehicles for heavier satellites, particularly those headed for geostationary transfer orbit. The model is developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and has also been used for missions to other destinations and orbital regimes. In its public materials, China’s space sector has described the Long March-3B as capable of carrying about 5.5 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit.
Launch failures are relatively uncommon for the Long March family, which supports China’s state space program across satellite deployment, scientific missions, and other government-led activities. Still, the program has recorded occasional setbacks over its multi-decade history, and authorities typically publish limited immediate information while technical teams review mission data. In this case, the launch center did not provide a timeline for when more findings might be released.
Long March 3B’s role in heavy satellite missions
Xichang, located in southwest China, is one of the country’s primary launch sites and has long been associated with missions using the Long March-3 series. It supports night launches as well as daytime operations and has hosted many flights aimed at placing satellites into higher-energy orbits that require powerful upper-stage performance. The Shijian-32 failure occurred at a site that has been central to China’s operations for communications and other high-orbit missions.
Chinese authorities did not release information on whether the Shijian-32 spacecraft had separated from the rocket, nor did they publish tracking data for the payload. The statement also did not describe any debris outcomes or provide imagery from the later phases of the flight. International spaceflight tracking records typically update outcomes after telemetry and public statements clarify whether a payload reached orbit, but the official announcement characterized the mission as a loss.
The failure adds to the record of occasional anomalies faced by major launch systems, even those with extensive operational histories. For China, the immediate next step is the formal inquiry referenced in the launch center’s statement. Officials have not yet issued a detailed technical report, and no further public briefing had been announced by the center as of Monday.