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China Conducts Geosynchronous Orbit Satellite Launch
XICHANG — China successfully launched what is believed to be its third experimental satellite destined for geosynchronous orbit on Thursday. This latest mission is part of a series of classified space endeavors.
A Long March 3B carrier rocket was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in southwest China, at 12:47 p.m. Eastern time (1647 UTC) on April 10. The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), a significant subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), declared the launch a success shortly after liftoff.
While airspace closure notices had预示了the launch, the specific payload remained undisclosed until SAST announced it as Communication Technology Experiment Satellite-17, also known as Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-17 (TJS-17).
Mission Details: Communication Technology Experiment Satellite-17 (TJS-17)
SAST, the satellite’s developer, indicated that TJS-17’s primary purpose is “to execute multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technology validation.” Consistent with prior TJS missions, neither imagery nor detailed technical specifications of the satellite were released.
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Analyzing the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan (TJS) Satellite Series
The TJS series satellites predominantly operate in geostationary orbit (GEO). Western analysts speculate that these satellites may be involved in classified operations for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), potentially encompassing signals intelligence, early warning systems, and satellite inspection activities. Currently, China has 16 primary TJS satellites in orbit, with the designation TJS-8 conspicuously absent.
Links to Recent Chinese Satellite Launches
This mission appears to be connected to two recent launches: TJS-15, launched on March 9 via a Long March 3B from Xichang, and TJS-16, launched on March 29 from Wenchang using a Long March 7A rocket. The Long March 7A is considered the kerosene-liquid oxygen successor to the older Long March 3B, which utilizes hypergolic propellants. SAST developed all three satellites – TJS-15, 16, and 17.
Mission Patches and Celestial Imagery
The TJS-17 mission patch from SAST features the King of the North, one of the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhist cosmology, each guarding a cardinal direction. The mission patches for TJS-15 and TJS-16 depicted the King of the West and King of the East, respectively. This pattern suggests a possible future TJS mission to complete the set of four celestial guardians.
TJS-15 is currently positioned around 90.3 degrees East longitude, while TJS-16 is located at approximately 152.5 degrees East.
China’s TJS program began with the first launch in 2015, with eight launches occurring within the last 18 months. Notable missions include TJS-13, launched in December 2024, which joined two other Chinese satellites, Shiyan-10 (01) and Shiyan-10 (02), in a highly elliptical Molniya-type orbit. TJS-3, launched in 2018, deployed an object that subsequently performed maneuvers.
China’s Expanding Space Program: 2025 Launch Cadence
The TJS-17 mission marks China’s 19th orbital launch in 2025. It follows the April 1 launch of four internet satellite test platforms and an April 3 Long March 6 launch from Taiyuan spaceport, delivering Tianping-3A (02) into a near-polar orbit.
Fueled by increasing commercial space activities, large-scale constellation projects, and advancements in new launch vehicle technology, China may aim for 100 or more launches in 2025. Several new medium-lift rockets, including potentially reusable systems, are slated for their inaugural flights this year. Two of these new rockets could transport cost-effective cargo spacecraft to the Tiangong space station.
Significant missions anticipated this year include the Tianwen-2 near-Earth asteroid sample return and main-belt comet rendezvous mission, expected around May, alongside the crewed Shenzhou-20 and -21 missions to the Tiangong space station.