China on Tuesday launched a Long March-6C carrier rocket, placing seven satellites into space.
The rocket blasted off at 11:21 (Beijing Time) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province and successfully sent the satellites into the planned orbit.
This launch marked the 665th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series, according to the launch center.
Two high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites -- Zhongke Sat-14 and 15 -- carry dedicated space-based cloud payloads, breaking the traditional boundary between remote sensing and cloud computing to create an integrated platform that combines satellite sensing with onboard processing, according to developer GalaxySpace, a key supplier for China's internet satellite constellation project.
The company said this marks a breakthrough in space-based computing power and serves as an important step in the country's broader push for a space-based computing network.
The two satellites integrate onboard data reception, computing and analysis, delivering stable in-orbit computing power for tasks ranging from data acquisition to real-time delivery. They cut response times to minutes in flood or earthquake scenarios and significantly reduce bandwidth demand compared with traditional models, according to GalaxySpace.
GISTDA Cube Sat 1, also built by GalaxySpace, marks the company's first full-satellite and ground-system export to a Belt and Road partner country. Delivered to Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), it will supply land-use, agricultural, and ecological surface data while supporting Thai universities in satellite design, telemetry, and remote-sensing education.
Other satellites aboard include the JAMX01, a microsatellite developed over eight years by Shanghai teachers and students in partnership with a Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology affiliate, aimed at promoting youth science education through hands-on aerospace projects.
China launches 7 new satellites
Torrential rains and surging upstream waters triggered by Typhoon Narra have engulged parts of south China's Guangxi region, forcing a shipping ban and mass evacuations as rescuers race to reach stranded residents before waters rise further.
The Yujiang River in Nanning rose to 74.04 meters by Tuesday morning, exceeding the warning level by 1.04 meters, with water levels continuing to climb and multiple docks and riverside walkways submerged. The entire Nanning section of the river is now closed to shipping. The Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration has activated the second-highest emergency response for flood control, and authorities project the peak crest of around 75.50 meters in the early hours of Thursday.
Further upstream, persistent rains and swollen rivers caused severe flooding in Chongzuo's Jiangzhou District from the early hours of Tuesday, prompting the highest-level flood emergency response. By 07:00 Tuesday morning, more than 14,900 people across the district had been evacuated to safety.
Rescue efforts have mobilized across multiple fronts. Soldiers and armed police have joined firefighters in the hardest-hit areas. On Sunday, nearly 100 armed police officers were dispatched to the worst-affected towns of Ningming County, where mountain villages face heightened risks of mudslides and flash floods. Officers have gone door to door, evacuating residents and moving valuables to higher ground.
On Monday afternoon, floods struck Longzhou County and Jiangzhou District, prompting the armed police to send 60 men to the front lines. By early Tuesday, the reinforcements had rescued over 300 people and transported more than 10 tons of supplies.
Early on Tuesday morning, several rivers across Chongzuo surged above warning levels. The hydrological station in Ningming County recorded a peak crest of 7.5 meters above the danger mark. The Guangxi Military Command of the People's Liberation Army immediately mobilized over 400 soldiers and militiamen for disaster relief. The teams, equipped with shovels, sandbags, life jackets and lighting equipment, worked along the Mingjiang River to reinforce embankments and conduct patrols. By 03:00, they had stacked more than 6,000 sandbags and reinforced the embankments with them, raising a 500-meter stretch of low-lying embankment by 60 centimeters.
To restore connectivity in areas where communications had been cut, China Anneng Construction Group, a state-owned engineering rescue force, deployed amphibious all-terrain vehicles on Tuesday to carry generators and repair equipment to isolated communities.
Narra, the 19th typhoon of the year, is forecast to land in China between late Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Rescue efforts underway as rising floodwaters engulf parts of Guangxi
