Satellite launch China's 52nd mission this year

China launched a relay satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province on Thursday evening, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's main space contractor.

A Long March 3B carrier rocket blasted off at 8 pm from the southwestern spaceport and soon placed the Tianlian II-06 satellite into orbit, the State-owned company said in a news release.

The mission marked China's 52nd space launch this year and the 658th flight of the Long March rocket family.

Developed by the company's China Academy of Space Technology, the satellite is tasked with providing telemetry and data relay services to manned spacecraft, remote-sensing satellites, and the Tiangong space station, the release said.

It was the sixth deployment in the Tianlian II series, China's second generation of data relay satellites. The first was launched from the Xichang center in March 2019.

The Long March 3B model, which was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, also a CASC subsidiary, is one of China's most heavily used rocket types and has a good operational record. It is mainly used to launch satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and can transport 5.5 tons of payload into such orbits. It can also send spacecraft into other kinds of orbits, such as medium-Earth and lunar transfer orbits.