Launch News Shiyan Weixing 4 & Chuang Xin 1C, Long March 2D, November 20, 2011

[Cosmic Penguin]

As the sun rose on the east horizon of the Gobi desert half a day ago, another Chinese rocket was launched to carry two technology demonstration satellites into space. The Long March 2D rocket was launched from pad SLS-2 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 00:15 UTC (08:15 local time) Sunday, and deployed the Shiyan Weixing 4 (SY-4) & Chuang Xin 1C (CX-1C) satellites in a ~800 km sun-synchronous orbit. SY-4 will test some kind of new technology (from what I have seen, it might have carry new infrared scanning sensors for military testing), while CX-1C (built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences) will continue to test store-dump communication techniques in low Earth orbit.

Marking a record 15 orbital launches of the year by late November, the Chinese will continue their quick pace of launching satellites with probably 5 launches in December and another 3 launches in January 2012!

Overview launch article on NASASpaceflight.com

Discussion threads for the launch:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27285.0

http://www.9ifly.cn/thread-5771-1-1.html (in Chinese)

Launch photos:

Chinese news reports about the launch:

http://news.cntv.cn/china/20111120/103880.shtml

http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/65681688-1802518255.html

 

[Thunder Chicken]

That doesn't look like ice falling off the sides to me. Is it covered in some protective screens for some reason, or is that really ice?

 

[gwiz]

This was also very noticeable on the previous Chinese launch with the CZ-4B:
http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=25134
There appears to be a layer of lightweight insulating material on the outside of the payload shroud that falls off very soon after launch.