China's oldest and most used launch site. Long March 1 launched Dongfanghong-1 from here in 1970 — China's first satellite. All Chinese crewed missions (Shenzhou) launch from Jiuquan's Manned Space Launch Site.
A launch site's latitude determines which orbits are achievable and at what fuel cost. Jiuquan at 40.9675°N sets the following constraints:
From 40.9675°N, Jiuquan can reach 4 Starlink inclination shells: 43°, 53°, 70°, 97.6° SSO (polar).
Trains launched to higher inclinations are visible from more of the world. A 97° SSO train from Jiuquan would be visible at virtually every latitude; a 53° train is visible from latitudes up to ±57° (primarily) — much of the populated world. In the hours after launch — before satellites raise their orbits — a tight train of 20–60 bright dots crosses the sky roughly every 90 minutes. Use OrbitalNodes' Starlink tracker for exact train pass times.
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre is located at 40.9675°N, 100.2982°E in Gansu/Inner Mongolia, China. It is owned and operated by PLA / CNSA. The site has conducted approximately 250 orbital launches since its first in 1970.
Current vehicles operating from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre include Long March 2, 4, 6; Kuaizhou; Zhuque. Primary customers are CNSA, PLA, commercial providers, launching Shenzhou crewed missions, Tianzhou cargo, commercial LEO.
At 40.9675°N, Jiuquan's minimum achievable inclination is 41.0° (due-east launch). The ISS at 51.6° is reachable with a dogleg manoeuvre. The site can reach orbits between roughly 41° and 98° inclination.
Yes — Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre hosts an extremely high cadence of approximately 22 orbital launches per year. Check the operator's website for public viewing arrangements and launch windows.
Satellites regularly launched from Jiuquan include Shenzhou crewed missions, Tianzhou cargo, commercial LEO. The ISS was supplied or crew-launched from sites at similar latitudes. Use OrbitalNodes to track any visible satellite in real time.
Jiuquan at 40.9675°N was positioned to access the full range of low-Earth orbits including the ISS corridor. The site has been operational since 1970.
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