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China’s new medium-lift carrier rocket Long March-8 made its maiden flight on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, sending five satellites into planned orbit, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
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The rocket blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan at 12:37 p.m. (Beijing Time).
The Long March-8 rocket has a total length of 50.3 meters, with a takeoff mass of 356 tons and can carry a payload of at least 4.5 tons to SSO at an altitude of 700 km.
The rocket fills the gap in China’s launch capability to SSO from 3 to 4.5 tons and, according to CNSA, is of great significance for accelerating the upgrading of launch vehicles.
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