China's second sea-based space launch places 9 satellites in orbit
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 — the 10th member of the Long March 11 family — 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 — three to take videos and six to take photographs — 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.
