Smart Dragon 3

Active

China Rocket Co. Ltd. (CHNR)

Dec. 9, 2022

Description

Smart Dragon-3 is a solid fuel orbital rocket designed by a subsidiary of the state-owned CASC group built for the commercial market.

Specifications
  • Length
    32.0 m
  • Diameter
    2.64 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Launch Mass
    140.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Smart Dragon 3
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Smart Dragon 3
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    1500.0 kg

China Rocket Co. Ltd.

Commercial
None
CHNR

China Rocket Co. Ltd. is a spinoff of China’s state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer using a “commercial business model”.

Smart Dragon 3 | SatNet test satellite

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
April 11, 2026, 11:32 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite". Probable 1 (?) test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO communication satellite constellation SatNet.

Polar Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | 10 x CentiSpace-1

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
March 22, 2026, 3:49 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chinese commercial small satellites by Beijing-based company Future Navigation for providing GNSS augmentation signals services from LEO. They are part of a planned 160 satellites constellation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | PRSC-EO2 & 6 satellites

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Feb. 12, 2026, 6:37 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carried 7 satellites to sun-synchronous orbit, including PRSC-EO2 (Earth observation satellite for the Pakistan government's SUPARCO) & CUHK-1. Details on other payloads to be confirmed.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | Geely Constellation Group 06

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Sept. 24, 2025, 7:56 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

12 LEO communications satellites for Chinese car manufacturer Geely Automotive for testing autonomous driving/inter-vehicle communication services. They also carry payloads for ocean observation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | Geely Constellation Group 05

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Sept. 8, 2025, 7:48 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

11 LEO communications satellites for Chinese car manufacturer Geely Automotive for testing autonomous driving/inter-vehicle communication services. They also carry payloads for ocean observation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | Geely Constellation Group 04

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Aug. 8, 2025, 4:31 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

11 LEO communications satellites for Chinese car manufacturer Geely Automotive for testing autonomous driving/inter-vehicle communication services. They also carry payloads for ocean observation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | 10 x CentiSpace-1

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Jan. 13, 2025, 3 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chinese commercial small satellites by Beijing-based company Future Navigation for providing GNSS augmentation signals services from LEO. They are part of a planned 160 satellites constellation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | 8 satellites

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Sept. 24, 2024, 2:31 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carried 8 satellites to a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit: * Tianyi-41 * Luojia 4-01 * Fudan-1 * Tianyan-15 * Jitianxing A-01 * Xingshidai-15/21/22

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | 9 satellites

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Feb. 3, 2024, 3:06 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carried 9 satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit: * DRO-L * Zhixing-2A (SmartSat-2A) * DongFangHuiYan-GF01 * WeiHai-1-01/02 * XingShiDai-18/19/20 * NEXSAT-1

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | SatNet test satellite

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Dec. 5, 2023, 7:24 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite" built by Chinese Academy of Sciences. Probable 1 test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO communication satellite constellation SatNet.

Polar Orbit
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Smart Dragon 3 | Maiden Flight

China Rocket Co. Ltd. | China
Haiyang Oriental Spaceport
Dec. 9, 2022, 6:35 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

First flight of the new solid fuel powered rocket developed by CAST. Payload consists of 14 satellites: * Jilin-1 HR-03D 44-50 * Jilin-1 PT-01A 01 * Tianqi-7 * HEAD-2H * CAS-5A * Golden Bauhinia 1-05 & 06 * Huoju-1

Low Earth Orbit
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Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 6 hours ago
Cygnus CRS-2 NG-24 (S.S. Steven R. Nagel)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

This is the 24th flight of the Orbital ATK's uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its 23rd flight to the International Space Station under the Com…


Smart Dragon 3
Success
2 days, 6 hours ago
SatNet test satellite
South China Sea (launch location 3) - Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite". Probable 1 (?) test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO commun…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-21
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 6A
Success
4 days, 22 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 21
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

A batch of 5 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Long March 8
Success
6 days, 4 hours ago
SpaceSail Polar Group 07
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with…