China launched a Long March 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province early on Thursday morning, marking the completion of the country's annual launch schedule.

The rocket blasted off at 12:43 am and carried an experimental satellite, named Communication Technology Demonstrator 9, into a geosynchronous orbit, according to a statement published by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's leading space contractor.

It was the 48th flight of the Long March rocket family and the 55th of China's launch vehicle fleet in 2021.

Developed by the company's China Academy of Space Technology, the satellite is tasked with verifying multiband, high-speed satellite communication technologies, the statement said.

By now, the Long March rocket fleet has carried out more launches than any other rocket family in the world. All the Long March flights this year were successful.

Consequently, China is expected to fulfill more space missions than any other spacefaring nation this year. The United States launched 45 rockets this year, ranking second in the global list of rocket liftoffs.

China was the world's top rocket launcher in 2018 and 2019, with 39 and 34 flights, respectively. Last year, it launched 39 rockets, second to the 44 launched by the US.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Related Links
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

UAP: SkyCAM Searches the Sky
Wurzburg, Germany (SPX) Dec 21, 2021
Time and again, people see strange luminous phenomena or other phenomena in the sky that they cannot explain. "Most of these observations concern known phenomena or objects such as birds, aircraft, satellites or clouds. But for a very small proportion, the cause remains unexplained even after intensive investigation by experts," says Hakan Kayal, Professor for Space Technology at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany. It is precisely these Unidentified Aerial Phen ... read more