Maiden mission of Long March-6 from Shanxi carries 20 satellites into orbit

China staged the maiden flight of its latest Long March-6 rocket on Sunday, taking 20 satellites into space - a record for the most launched by a single Chinese rocket.

The launch, which took place just after 7 am at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, also marked the first use of a new-generation, eco-friendly engine.

After the 29-meter, three-stage Long March-6 reached space, it released the satellites, which entered orbit in four groups, according to the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, which developed the rocket.

As a "high-speed response" launch vehicle, the Long March-6 is the country's first new rocket in more than 20 years.

Its development started in 2009 when it was decided that a new rocket was needed to carry small satellites, the academy said, adding that the rocket used on Sunday rolled off the assembly line in July.

The rocket can place a payload of about 1 metric ton into a sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 700 kilometers. Its main propulsion is an engine that can provide 120 tons of thrust and runs on liquid oxygen and kerosene.

"The use of liquid oxygen and kerosene makes the engine much more environmentally friendly than its predecessors," said Tan Yonghua, president of the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology in Shaanxi province. The engine was designed by the academy.

The new engine is also much more powerful than previous ones, which had an average thrust of 70 tons, laying a solid foundation for China's future lunar exploration and deep-space missions, Tan said.

Zhang Xiaodong, a senior engineer at the Shanghai academy, said the 20 satellites carried by the Long March-6 were made by several institutes and space enterprises, including Tsinghua University, the National University of Defense Technology and China Spacesat Co Ltd.

Most of them are miniature satellites, with the smallest weighing less than 100 grams.

Their main missions are to demonstrate China's advanced space technologies through various tests, Zhang said.

The world record for the most satellites sent into space in a single launch is held by Russia's Dnepr rocket - a converted Soviet-era SS-18 Satan intercontinental ballistic missile. It carried 37 satellites on a mission in June last year.

The United States' multi-satellite launch record was set in January last year when Orbital Sciences Corp, which is now part of Orbital ATK Inc, sent 33 miniature satellites and a cargo spacecraft into orbit.

China plans to conduct the first mission for the Long March-11, the nation's first solid-fuel rocket, this month, according to Chinese media reports.

Yang Lei contributed to this story.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 09/21/2015 page1)