The rocket lifted off from Taiyuan at 09:30 UTC July 4 carrying 18 Qianfan internet-constellation satellites; four previous upper-stage fragmentation events with no disclosed root cause have made this variant the most debris-prone active launch system in service

A Long March-4B lifted off from Jiuquan at 23:46 UTC on July 1 (07:46 CST July 2), placing the HY-2E satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit; the spacecraft is the first replacement for China's aging ocean-observation trio and begins a three-satellite renewal

China's Long March rocket program, CASC's state-run orbital fleet, is setting national cadence records and driving Beijing's military, constellation, and deep-space ambitions.