China Launches Four PIESAT-2 Radar Satellites
China successfully launched four synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites into orbit on September 19, 2026, adding a new batch to a commercial radar remote-sensing constellation. The satellites — designated Zhuzhou Space Interstellar PIESAT-2 13 through 16 — lifted off at 18:50 Beijing time (10:50 UTC) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province aboard a Long March 2D rocket in a one-rocket, four-satellite configuration, according to Xinhua News.
All four satellites entered their planned orbits, and the mission was declared a complete success. The launch marked the 668th flight of the Long March rocket family, a milestone also confirmed by CCTV News.
A Commercial Constellation Takes Shape
The four satellites form part of the PIESAT-2 constellation, which belongs to the Nuwa Constellation of PIESAT Information Technology and is operated under the Zhuzhou Space Interstellar banner. The PIESAT-2 spacecraft themselves were built by Galaxy Space, a Beijing-based commercial space company — a separate entity from PIESAT, which owns and operates the constellation.
The PIESAT-2 constellation was planned as a 16-satellite tranche — 12 X-band SAR satellites and four C-band SAR satellites — which this launch appears to complete, according to IT之家, which detailed the constellation’s architecture. Those satellites are designed to operate in distinct orbital regimes: the X-band units in a sun-synchronous orbit and the C-band units in a low-Earth orbit supporting multiple polarization modes.
The broader Nuwa Constellation is described as China’s largest commercial radar remote-sensing constellation. According to China News, the network was expected to add roughly a dozen satellites within the following year, bringing the total of in-orbit radar satellites to about 20 and enabling full global networking. The PIESAT-2 batch builds on earlier launches such as the Hongtu No. 1 and Hongtu No. 2 batches that began deploying in 2023 and 2024.
Why SAR Matters
Synthetic aperture radar satellites offer capabilities that optical imaging satellites cannot match. Because they transmit their own radar pulses rather than relying on reflected sunlight, SAR satellites can observe the Earth through cloud cover, rain, fog, and darkness.
“SAR satellites are the collective term for Earth-observation remote-sensing satellites carrying SAR payloads, with superior capabilities such as all-day, all-weather, high-resolution Earth observation,” said Duan Xiao, Galaxy Space’s SAR satellite chief designer, in comments reflected in the research on the program. Multiple SAR satellites, he added, can increase revisit rates and “realize millimeter-level deformation measurement of targets such as dams and bridges” — applications that support land-resource management, earthquake monitoring, disaster prevention, and forestry.
The new batch carries high-resolution SAR payloads along with onboard intelligent processing and mission-planning systems. According to Duan Xiao, these features are intended to “realize real-time processing of remote-sensing data on orbit” and to support “the construction of space-based intelligent infrastructure.”
Industry Context
Galaxy Space, founded in 2018, has been described as the first unicorn company in China’s commercial space sector. It was the first in the country to achieve serial production of SAR satellites, having delivered eight batch-produced units by late 2024. Its leadership has framed the industry’s trajectory around four trends: low-orbit, low-cost, scaled, and constellation-based operations.
The launch also underscores the expanding role of commercial firms in a sector long dominated by state programs. While the Long March 2D rocket itself was developed by the state-run China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation’s Eighth Academy, the satellites were built by a private company, and launch services were provided by the CASC-affiliated China Great Wall Industry Corporation.
What’s Next
With its 16-satellite initial tranche apparently complete, the PIESAT-2 program now faces the larger task of scaling toward the Nuwa Constellation’s long-term target. That expansion will depend on sustained launch cadence, production capacity, and demand for the radar imagery China’s commercial operators expect to sell at home and abroad.
For now, the mission adds to a steady drumbeat of Chinese launches in 2026 and reinforces the country’s dual strategy: advancing state spaceflight while nurturing a private industry capable of competing in the fast-growing Earth-observation market.