BEIJING: China announced on Sunday the successful launch of a Long March 2D carrier rocket, which deployed a remote sensing satellite into orbit.
The rocket lifted off at 7:45 a.m. Beijing time from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, as reported by state-run Xinhua News.
The satellite, named Yaogan-42 02, was placed into its designated orbit following the launch. This mission represents the 17th rocket launch of 2024 and the 517th flight overall for China’s Long March rocket family, which serves as the nation’s primary fleet of launch vehicles.
The Long March 2D rocket utilizes liquid propellants and boasts a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons. It is capable of deploying spacecraft weighing up to 1.3 tons into sun-synchronous orbits at an altitude of approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth’s surface.
