The Chinese mainland's Long March-6C carrier rocket made its debut flight on Tuesday, successfully placing four satellites into space.
Blasting off at 11:21 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, the rocket sent Neptune-01, Smart-1C, a broad-band optical satellite, and a high-resolution video satellite into their planned orbits.
This launch marked the 520th flight mission of the Long March series and introduced a new member to the series, enhancing the range of the Chinese mainland's next-generation carrier rockets.
Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the Long March-6C features a streamlined single-core, two-stage design powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene engines, targeting the future commercial launch market.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com