China on Sunday launched a Long March-4C rocket, placing a new satellite in space. 

The rocket blasted off at 7:43 a.m. Beijing Time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and sent the satellite Shiyan-23 into preset orbit.

Shiyan means "experiment" in Chinese. The Shiyan-23 satellite will be used for space environment monitoring.

It was the 522nd flight mission of the Long March series rockets, according to the launch center.

(Cover: A Long March-4C rocket, carrying the Shiyan-23 satellite, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 12, 2024. /CMG)