Long March 5 rocket deploys tech demo satellite into space

China launched a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket on Saturday evening to deploy a technology demonstration satellite into space, according to the State-owned conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's dominant space contractor.

The company said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 8:30 pm from a coastal service tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province and soon placed the Communications Technology Demonstrator 23 satellite in its intended orbit.

One of the world's most powerful operational rockets, the Long March 5 model was designed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, the nation's major rocket maker and a CASC subsidiary.

Compared to the conventional Long March 5 configuration, the rocket deployed on Saturday had an extended fairing — the top structure on a rocket that contains satellites or other payloads — that was 18.5 meters tall.

The fairings on typical Long March 5 rockets are about 12.3 meters tall.

The extended Long March 5 model has an overall height of 63.2 meters, making it the tallest-ever rocket type in China.

Communications Technology Demonstrator 23 was built by another CASC subsidiary, China Academy of Space Technology, and is tasked with verifying multi-band high-speed satellite communications technologies, according to the company.

The launch marked the 88th space mission in China and the 618th flight of the Long March rocket fleet. It is also the 17th launch of the Long March 5 family.