Beijing (TDI): China launched a Long March 6 rocket on Thursday morning, sending a multifunctional satellite into orbit, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation announced on Friday.
The rocket lifted off at 10:12 am from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province and deployed the Tianping 3A-02 satellite as planned, the State-owned space contractor said in a statement.
Manufactured by the Shanghai-based Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the satellite will be used for radar calibration, radar cross-section measurement, and supporting experiments with ground-based optical equipment and low-orbit environmental surveyors, the statement added.
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The academy said it has developed and launched 168 satellites, with functions including communications, navigation, and scientific exploration.
The Long March 6, built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, stands 29.3 meters tall and can carry multiple satellites into different types of orbits.
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The launch was China’s eighteenth space mission of the year and the 568th flight of the Long March rocket family, the country’s main launch vehicle series.
