"一箭九星"海上发射成功
Sea-based space launch China launched a Long March 11 solid-propellant carrier rocket from a ship in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday morning, sending nine satellites into orbit in the nation's second sea-based launch mission. The Long March 11-HY2 blasted off at 9:22 am from the Debo 3, a self-propelled deck barge that was modified for the mission. About 13 minutes later, after traveling 535 kilometers, it deployed nine Jilin 1 high-resolution Earth-observation satellites in sun-synchronous orbits. Each of the satellites, developed by Changguang Satellite Technology in Changchun, Jilin province, weighs about 42 kilograms. They will provide remote-sensing services to users in fields such as agriculture, forestry, land resources and environmental protection. The mission helped to optimize seaborne launch procedures and improve the safety and reliability of such operations, laying a foundation for frequent sea-based launches in the future, said Jin Xin, the rocket's deputy project manager. |