The Communication Technology Test Satellite No. 12 has entered its designated orbit and will conduct relevant technology testing and verification.
On December 20, 2024, at 23:12, the Communication Technology Test Satellite No. 12 was successfully launched by the Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The satellite accurately entered its designated orbit, marking a successful completion of the launch mission.
According to information from the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (also known as Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute), the Communication Technology Test Satellite No. 12 was developed under the overall management of the Eighth Academy. It is primarily used for satellite communication, broadcasting, television, data transmission, and related technology testing and verification.
In response to challenges posed by new technologies and products, the satellite team collaborated with various development units to identify risks and short-term issues, refine work models, optimize development processes, improve product technical specifications, organize special verifications, and establish a weekly communication mechanism. They implemented strict physical state control, addressed issues seriously, and carried out structured product acceptance, along with tiered testing and verification, effectively ensuring the stability of new product quality.
Faced with the high-intensity development and launch tasks, the model team, under the leadership of two generals, coordinated planning and multi-line collaboration, focusing on short-term goals. In product design, they followed the approach of “interface generalization, functional modularization, and testing standardization,” implementing unified design for satellite technical status to shorten product development cycles and enhance product readiness. In assembly integration, they explored a new digital model for process control driven by assembly processes, achieving cross-domain collaboration among design, manufacturing, and production assurance, significantly improving assembly quality and efficiency. In specialized testing, they planned the satellite testing matrix in advance, accurately identifying new projects to ensure comprehensive testing coverage and verification effectiveness. Additionally, they reinforced the design of safety margins for the satellite, conducted checks on the execution of overall design standards, and carried out long-life design and testing verification.
To ensure the success of the model mission, the testing team organized 16 risk disclosure reviews across five areas: physical product state control, testing coverage checks, new product quality reviews, component application risk control, and flight test failure contingency plans. They innovated a risk tree analysis method to comprehensively identify risk factors and develop contingency plans, which were incorporated into the product data package. They strictly implemented quality confirmation systems at the launch site and conducted “seven comparisons” of data, planning and completing 251 confirmation forms and 31 quality control points, resulting in a data collection package of 30,458 items, achieving “precise confirmation and efficient management” to ensure the successful completion of the launch mission from multiple dimensions and high quality.
The Long March 3B rocket was developed under the overall management of the First Academy. This launch marks another victory for the Long March 3B rocket, following its achievement of China’s first 100 launches of a single model on December 3, with only 17 days between the two launches. It also serves as the concluding mission for the Long March 3A series of launch vehicles in 2024. This launch is the 554th mission of the Long March series of launch vehicles.
