Global Times: 30 hours to a satellite captures the essence of ‘Xiong’an speed’

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Standing in Xiong'an New Area's growing satellite industry hub in North China's Hebei Province, young engineer Chen Yuepeng had plenty of stories to tell. But one satellite stood out: Xiong'an-1, the first satellite manufactured in the new area.

Even as he recalled the moment months later, Chen could not hide the pride and excitement on his face.

The story takes us back to the morning of August 19, 2026.

At 7:35 am, a Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket roared into the sky from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, carrying Honghu-03, also known as Xiong'an-1. Flames lit up the launch pad as the rocket climbed into the sky. About two minutes later, the two stages separated, and the first stage began its journey back to Earth.

At around 7:41 am, the booster touched down at its designated landing site in Gansu Province, marking a breakthrough in China's reusable rocket technology.

Hundreds of kilometers away, at Hongqing's satellite operations center in Xiong'an, another moment of anticipation was unfolding. Zhang Zilong, the head of the satellite operations and management platform, and his colleagues kept their eyes fixed on satellite operation screens.

At 7:45 am, confirmation finally came: Xiong'an-1 had entered its designated orbit, with its systems operating normally.

At that moment, the tension inside the satellite operations center gave way to cheers of excitement and relief. Chen recalled eagerly sharing the news with his family and friends, telling them a “star” built in Xiong'an had successfully made it into space.

Building speed on factory floor