Long March 3B/E | TJSW-12 (Official TSDG Broadcast)

Video from the channel ThatSpaceDogeGuy about Long March 3B/E, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 26:22. Language: English. Video type: Livestream.

Amateur coverage of the launch of a Long March 3B from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China. According to the title, the payload was the TJSW-12 satellite, although the description itself warns that the identity of both the payload and the launch vehicle is highly uncertain, and the commentator acknowledges that the satellite would only be identified hours after launch. The footage comes from a fixed camera set up by channel contributors near the base, since the launch had no official broadcast. The commentator explains that he chose this broadcast after an Electron rocket launch was scrubbed that same day.

While waiting, the commentator warns that Chinese launches without official broadcasts can occur a few minutes earlier or later than the time given in aeronautical notices. He points to the retraction of the arms connecting the service tower to the rocket, about 40 to 50 seconds before liftoff, as a sign that launch is imminent. When the arms withdraw, the countdown, ignition and liftoff follow. The rocket passes through a cloud layer, and the rumble of the engines is clearly audible as it climbs.

The liftoff proceeds without visible incident and the rocket is lost from view within a few minutes. Coverage ends shortly afterward, with no data on the orbital insertion. The video closes with an audio clip unrelated to the launch, in which sonic booms and the landing of some boosters can be heard.