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China plans to launch its new generation carrier rocket Long March-8 Y2 between late February and early March from the southern island of Hainan, sources with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's leading rocket maker, said on Friday.
A two-stage medium-lift carrier rocket, the Long March-8 is 50.3 meters long, with a takeoff weight of 356 tonnes. The rocket arrived at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on January 21 after a week of ocean transport.
The rocket has filled the gap in China's launch capability to the sun-synchronous orbit. It also satisfied the needs of high-density launch missions for medium- and low-orbit spacecraft.