SHANGHAI: China on Sunday launched a new, smaller type of rocket from its “Long March” family which will be primarily used for carrying satellites aloft, state media reported, as the country races ahead with an ambitious space programme.

The Long March-6, a newly developed carrier rocket which uses liquid propellant, took off from a launch base in the northern province of Shanxi on Sunday morning carrying 20 “micro” satellites, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The white rocket, imprinted with the Chinese flag at the top, climbed into bluish-grey skies, footage aired by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) showed.

One Chinese official suggested that the smaller rocket will make China more competitive in the lucrative market for commercial satellite launches.

“We believe it will greatly boost the competitiveness of Chinese carrier rockets in the international market,” Zhang Weidong, chief designer at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, told Xinhua.

“The new model will also significantly improve our ability to access space,” he said.

China launches its own satellites as it continues to build a homegrown navigation system, but also carries out launches for other countries and commercial companies.The rocket is 29.3 metres high, shorter than others actively used in China’s space programme, reports said. Long March-6 uses fuel composed of liquid oxygen and kerosene, which is said to be free of toxicity and pollution.

State media hailed the achievement, saying the launch marked a record for the number of satellites carried by a Chinese rocket and its first time for the “environmentally-friendly” fuel.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2015

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