China successfully placed nine satellites into orbit aboard its Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1 Y11) carrier rocket, including an Earth-observation satellite developed under the leadership of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The launch took place at 12:03 local time from the Dongfeng Commercial Spaceflight Innovation Pilot Zone near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest. All satellites were delivered to their planned orbits.

The UAE-led satellite, known as 813, is designed to support soil monitoring, climate analysis and environmental assessment across diverse regions. The project forms part of the broader cooperation framework under the Arab Space Cooperation Group.

The mission also marked the deployment of China’s first remote-sensing satellite dedicated to the energy sector. Identified as Jixing High-Resolution 07D01, the satellite provides sub-0.5-meter spatial resolution and can perform continuous east-west strip imaging covering more than 200 kilometers of transmission corridors in a single pass. According to the State Grid Electric Power Research Institute, it will significantly enhance the precision of monitoring transmission lines, tower structures and other key grid infrastructure.

Compared with existing satellite systems, the new platform is expected to increase measurement accuracy for transmission projects more than fivefold. It will support the management of ultra-high-voltage (UHV) networks, assess environmental impacts along power corridors, monitor critical energy routes and assist with disaster warnings and post-disaster assessments.

The payload group also included two additional remote-sensing satellites developed to support water-resource monitoring, urban governance and digital-transformation efforts in a district of Hefei, the capital of China’s Anhui province.(ILKHA)