Long March 4B | Ziyuan-3-04
Long March 4B launched the Ziyuan-3-04 mission for China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on Dec 16, 2025 (UTC).
Launch pad
Launch Complex 9 · Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Long March 4B | Ziyuan-3-04
Launched Dec 16, 2025 12:17:00 PMSuccess
1 object in orbit now
Flight direction
190° S
measured from the launched orbit · inclination 97.5°
Flight path
First-stage drop zone (rough estimate)
Drawn 400–700 km downrange along the flight direction. Official hazard areas are published as NOTAMs and navigational warnings.
About the mission
The ZY-3 (Ziyuan-3, 'Resource-3') series represents China's first high-resolution, stereoscopic mapping satellites for civilian use. The second satellite is managed by the Satellite Surveying and Mapping Application Center (SASMAC). The imaging payload consists of a three-line camera array and a multispectral imager. The three-line panchromatic camera array to acquire stereoscopic imagery consists of three telescopic cameras with one oriented to the nadir and the other two each offset by 22° forward and backward in flight direction. The stereo mapping camera of ZY-3 has a resolution of 2.1 m for the nadir camera, and 2.6 m for the offset cameras. The swath width is 51 km. The multispectral imager for environmental and vegetation monitoring consists of a three-mirror telescope and a cooled detector system sensitive to four wavelength bands to capture full-color imagery as well as near-infrared data. The ground resolution of this system is 5.8 m.
Mission description from Launch Library 2.
Objects from this launch still in orbit
- Launch time (your time zone)
- Tue, Dec 16 · 12:17:00 PM
- Status
- Success
- Launch provider
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
- Rocket
- Long March 4B
- Mission type
- Earth Science
- Target orbit
- SSO
- Launch pad
- Launch Complex 9 · Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China