A Yuanzheng 1S upper stage aboard a Long March 2C carrier rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province on Dec 30, 2023, sending a satellite for satellite internet technologies testing into preset orbit.
A Yuanzheng 1S upper stage aboard a Long March 2C carrier rocket, carrying a test satellite for satellite internet technologies, is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province on Dec 30, 2023. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The Long March 2C carrier rocket with the Yuanzheng 1S aboard was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
It is mainly used to launch satellites into the sun-synchronous orbit, the low-Earth orbit and the Earth-Moon transfer orbit.
It has a payload capacity to the sun-synchronous orbit 700 kilometers from the Earth of 2.5 metric tons and is capable of sending into orbit a single satellite or multiple satellites via one launch.
The test satellite sent on Dec 30 was generally developed by CASC's China Academy of Space Technology.
In 2023, CASC carried out 48 space launches, 47 of which were taken by the Long March series carrier rockets with the other one taken by the Jielong 3 carrier rocket. More than 130 satellites were sent into preset orbits.
The launch on Dec 30 was the 505th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets.
(Executive editor: Xie Yunxiao)
