China breaks its rideshare record with 26-satellite launch

A Chinese Lijian-1 solid-fuel rocket launched on Wednesday (June 7), carrying 26 satellites to orbit — a rideshare record for the country. It was the second flight of the Lijian-1 rocket, which is China's largest operational solid propellant launch vehicle. Its inaugural mission launched in July 2022. Wednesday's liftoff occurred at 12:10 a.m. EDT (0410 GMT; 12:10 p.m. Beijing time), from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to a Chinese state media release. The 26 satellites housed in the Lijian-1 fairing were launched into low Earth orbit, where they will primarily serve "technology verification and commercial remote sensing information services." More

(Source: Space.com - Jun 11)