China's Long March-6C rocket makes maiden flight, sending four satellites into orbit

China's Long March-6C carrier rocket made its debut flight on Tuesday, placing four satellites in space.

The rocket blasted off at 11:21 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, sending Neptune-01, Smart-1C, a broad-band optical satellite, and a high-resolution video satellite into planned orbits.

It was the 520th flight mission of the Long March series rockets and marked the introduction of a new member to the series, enriching the category of China's new generation of Long March carrier rockets.

Developed by the the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the rocket showcases a streamlined single-core, two-stage design, powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene engines, aiming to serve the future commercial launch market.

This new 43-meter-long rocket has a lift-off mass of approximately 215 tonnes and is capable of delivering a payload of about 2.4 tonnes to a 500-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

One of the rocket's notable features is its adjustable satellite payload fairings, allowing it to accommodate a range of satellite sizes. This adaptability makes the rocket suitable for various needs and mission-specific requirements.

As a new generation of liquid carrier rocket, the Long March-6C has a first stage in a diameter of 3.35 meters, propelled by two liquid oxygen kerosene engines with 120 tonnes of thrust, and a second stage in a diameter of 2.9 meters, powered by a liquid oxygen kerosene engine with 18 tonnes of thrust.

In the growing satellite launch industry, users require highly reliable, cost-effective, adaptable and fast responsive carrier rockets.

The Long March-6C carrier rocket applies the adaptive augmentation control technology to realize precise control of its attitude and push forward the intelligence of the rocket control system.

"The technology can be explained as intelligent driving in a simple manner," said Hu Cunming, a rocket expert at the SAST.

Moreover, the researchers have also reduced the excess space between two tanks inside the rocket to cut its weight and make it carry as much fuel as possible. The development has improved both structural efficiency and carrying capacity of the rocket.

Notably, the four satellites onboard the rocket went through open commercial biddings to be collectively launched.

(With input from Xinhua)