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China launches Algeria's AlSat‑3A from Jiuquan and conducts Ceres‑1 sea launch to expand Tianqi IoT constellation

China launched Algeria's AlSat‑3A from Jiuquan on Jan. 15 — an Earth‑observation/surveillance satellite for disaster prevention and land planning — and the following day a Ceres‑1 sea launch placed four Tianqi IoT telecom satellites into orbit, marking China’s third and fourth launches of 2026.

Discovered 2026-01-15T04:38:36.819268-08:00 | 2026-01-15T04:38:36.819268-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Two mid‑January missions signal both state-to-state cooperation and commercial constellation growth: Long March 2C launched Algeria’s AlSat‑3A (earth‑observation/surveillance for disaster prevention and land planning) and a Ceres‑1 sea launch placed four Tianqi IoT telecom satellites into planned orbit — China’s 3rd and 4th launches of 2026.

  • The activity underscores Beijing’s dual push for international partnerships and rapid commercial deployment, tying into China’s broader commercial launcher build‑out ([source:5cd0aacc-c9df-40f7-8a76-18a16b0a69fd]) and increasing operational demands for space‑traffic management and deconfliction ([source:3313a386-e46f-4b26-bd07-d07f1e39ace4]).

Reported By

SpaceWatch Global broadcastprome.com satelliteprome.com Space Daily orbitaltoday.com techafricanews.com
Sources Tracked
15
First Seen
2026-01-15T04:38:36.819268-08:00
Latest Update
2026-01-20T02:49:23.872873-08:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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