The launch took place from the Dongfeng site of the Jiuquan cosmodrome in the north of the country at 15:33 Beijing time. In addition to the ThumbSat-1 and ThumbSat-2 spacecraft, the rocket launched a satellite with the Zhongke-05 radar, as well as Tianyan-26 and three experimental devices of the Shiyan-2 series.
ThumbSat mini-satellites are used for biological research, growing crystals in microgravity, observing the Earth's magnetic field, and testing new technologies. The Kinetica-1 carrier is capable of launching up to two tons of payload into low orbit and has already completed eight missions, two of which are this year.
The active development of Beijing's space program remains a priority: China invests in the launch of meteorological, telecommunications and navigation satellites, as well as in projects to explore the Moon, Mars and asteroids. China's own space station, which is open for international cooperation, is already operating in orbit.
