China has launched its new YZ-3 upper stage attached to its Long March 2D (CZ-2D) rocket. The launch of the Long March 2D/YZ-3 occurred from the Jiuquan launch site at 0800 GMT on 29 December 2018. The launch carried a satellite called Chongqing test satellite (aka Hongyan 1) for the planned Hongyan communications satellite constellation into a 525 x 515km orbit inclined at 50 degrees to the equator together with three Yunhai-2 spacecraft which are believed to be military weather satellites using GNSS signal occultation for atmospheric analysis. The upper stage then made two more burns to lift three more Yunhai-2 satellites into a circa 1100km circular orbit at the same inclination.
