China conducted the first two launches of 2023 over the weekend, sending three hidden payloads into geosynchronous transmission orbits and five commercial satellites into sun-synchronous orbits.

The Long March 7A was launched from the Wenchang Coastal Space Base at 5 pm ET on January 8, and there were unofficial amateur footage showing the rocket taking off despite the rain. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the successful launch approximately 30 minutes later.

The main payload sent to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbiter (GTO) was determined to be the Shijian-23 satellite developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology (SAST), a major subsidiary of CASC.

The Shijian-23 satellite is mainly used for scientific experiments and technical verification. Two small payloads, Shiyan-22A and Shiyan-22B, were also on board and will be used for in-orbit testing of new technologies such as space environment monitoring, according to Chinese state media.

The launch was the fifth of the Long March 7A, a three-stage version of the standard Long March 7 used to launch cargo missions to the Tiangong space station. It was also the fourth consecutive successful launch of the rocket after the failure of the first launch in 2020. Source