Pathfinder satellite enters orbit after successful launch

China launched a cutting-edge scientific satellite on Wednesday evening, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The State-owned space contractor said a Long March 2D carrier rocket blasted off at 7:41 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, placing a satellite named Pathfinder into its preset orbit.

The company did not disclose details of the satellite's mission, saying only that it is part of the Tanyuan project, whose name means "exploring the origins".

China Daily has learned that the satellite was developed by the Shanghai-based Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is tasked with conducting astronomical observations.

The Long March 2D rocket, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is a liquid-propellant launch vehicle with a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons. It can carry a 1.2-metric-ton spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marked China's 83rd space mission in 2026 and the 677th flight of the Long March rocket series.