China launches new remote sensing satellite

China announced on Sunday that it has successfully launched a remote sensing satellite into orbit using a Long March 2D carrier rocket.

A Long March-2D carrier rocket carrying the Yaogan-42 02 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 21, 2024. PHOTO: XINHUA

The rocket launched the Yaogan-42 02 satellite into a predetermined orbit at 7:45 a.m. (Beijing time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwest province of Sichuan.

The latest launch marked the 17th rocket launch of 2024, and the 517th flight overall for the Long March rocket family, the nation's workhorse launch vehicle fleet.

The Long March 2D rocket, fuelled by liquid propellants and boasting a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons, is capable of launching 1.3-ton spacecraft into sun-synchronous orbits at roughly 700 kilometres (435 miles) in altitude.