SoylentNews

fork(2) [soylentnews.org] writes:

      Yesterday (June 25) Marcia S. Smith wrote at spacepolicyonline [spacepolicyonline.com] that:

China successfully conducted the first launch of its new mid-sized Long March 7 rocket from the new Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island today [June 25]. One of the payloads is a scale model of a new crew spacecraft which is expected to return to Earth tomorrow. This is the beginning of a busy period for China that includes the launch of a new small space station and a crew later this year, plus the inaugural launch of its largest rocket, Long March 5.

      The Long March 7 lifted off from Wenchang at 12:00 GMT (8:00 am Eastern Daylight Time; 8:00 pm local time at the launch site).

      Wenchang is China's fourth space launch site. Located on Hainan Island, it has the advantages of being closest to the equator, which is beneficial for satellites travelling to geostationary orbit, and debris from the launch falls into the ocean instead of on land. The other three sites are inland: Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert; Xichang, near Chengdu; and Taiyuan, south of Beijing. China plans to use Wenchang for launches of the Long March 7 and the new Long March 5, expected to makes its debut this year, too.

      In addition to the scale model crew spacecraft, the payload contained four small spacecraft identified as Aolong 1, Aoxiang Zhixing, Tiange feixingqi 1 and 2. They are attached to the Long March 7's third stage, YZ-1A, which has another experiment, In-Orbit Refueling Experiment Device, attached to it.

Original Submission