The rocket was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site, in the southern province of Hainan of China. In the photos of the scene, crowds can be seen gathering at a distance with tents and waiting to see how the elevator was lifted.
According to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the rocket transported the Shiyan-9 satellite to test new technologies such as environmental monitoring in space.
CASC built the experimental satellite in just eight months and set a record for medium to large remote sensing satellites, the government contractor said.
The Long March 7A is a three-phase rocket with four amplifiers, which is 60.1 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter. It has the capability to send seven tons of cargo to the geostationary transmission line (GTO) – about 35,000 km (22,000 miles) above the earth’s surface.
The rocket is primarily designed to launch satellites into GTO, with the potential to explore Moon, Mars and asteroids in the future, according to CASC.
China’s first attempt to launch the Long March 7A, in March 2020, failed on the Wenchang Space Launch Site. At the time, Chinese officials said engineers would investigate the cause of the failure, without giving further details.
China expects to launch three to five long March 7A rockets each year before 2025, according to CASC.
China has an ambitious space program, driven by billions of dollars in government investment. Over the past few months, the country has launched both lunar and Mars missions.
In July 2020, China launched its first unmanned mission to Mars – the Tianwen-1 probe, which entered orbit the red planet in February this year. And in December 2020, China’s unmanned Chang’e mission brought lunar monsters back to Earth, making it only the third country to successfully collect rocks from the moon.
CNN’s Yong Xiong contributed to this report.