The second Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) launch vehicle (Kuaizhou-11 Y2) launched the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) test satellite (行云交通VDES试验卫星) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, northwest China, on 7 December 2022, at 01:15 UTC (09:15 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the planned orbit and “will be mainly used for communications test and key technologies verification of the VDES and the automatic identification system (AIS)”. This is the first successful launch of KZ-11 (快舟十一), developed by ExPace Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).
Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/ExPace Technology Corporation/China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC)

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