China launched a Long March 7A carrier rocket on Tuesday morning to deploy an experimental satellite into space, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
The State-owned space giant said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 10:10 am from a service tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Hainan province. After a short flight, it placed the satellite, named Communication Technology Demonstrator 26A, into its preset orbit.
The satellite was built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary, and is tasked with transmitting radio and television signals, relaying data, and verifying communication technologies, according to the company.
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The Long March 7A rocket model is made by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, another CASC subsidiary. It has a liftoff weight of 573 metric tons and a core-stage diameter of 3.35 meters, and is capable of placing spacecraft with a total weight of 7 tons into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The launch marked the 46th space mission in China in 2026 and the 653rd flight of the Long March rocket fleet.
