Liftoff occurred at 2:37 pm local time from a dedicated launch service ship, after which the solid propellant rocket deployed all seven spacecraft into their preset orbits.
The payloads included a remote sensing satellite built by Pakistan, along with other satellites that took advantage of the rocket's capacity to carry multiple spacecraft on a single mission.
According to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, which developed the Smart Dragon 3 series, this flight marked the ninth mission for the rocket variant and continued its record of operating exclusively from sea based platforms.
Smart Dragon 3 stands 31 meters tall, has a core diameter of 2.65 meters and a liftoff mass of about 140 metric tons, using solid propellant stages to simplify operations and reduce launch preparation time.
The launcher can deliver multiple satellites with a combined mass of up to 1.5 tons into a typical sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of around 500 kilometers, making it suitable for constellations and remote sensing clusters.
Smart Dragon 3 carried out its maiden flight in December 2022 from a ship in the Yellow Sea, when it successfully placed 14 satellites into orbit and demonstrated China's growing capability in sea launch operations.
All nine Smart Dragon 3 missions to date have been conducted at sea, underscoring China's strategy of using mobile maritime platforms to supplement land based launch centers and ease pressure on coastal range safety corridors.
The latest launch also counted as China's 12th space mission of 2026, contributing to a busy national manifest that increasingly features commercial and international payloads.
Related Links
China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
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