China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a state-owned company, announced the successful launch of a Long March 6A carrier rocket on Sunday. The rocket took off at 12:30 pm from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province and successfully placed the Yaogan 40 satellite into its intended orbit.

The Yaogan 40 satellite is a part of the Yaogan family, which is the largest fleet of remote-sensing spacecraft in China. Remote-sensing satellites are used for observing, surveying, and measuring objects on land or at sea, as well as monitoring weather conditions. The data collected by the Yaogan satellites has been widely used by governments, public service sectors, and businesses.

The primary purpose of the Yaogan 40 satellite is to obtain data on the electromagnetic environment and conduct technological tests related to it. This launch marks the third mission of the Long March 6A rocket since its debut flight in March 2022.

The Long March 6A rocket, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is a medium-lift rocket. It consists of a 50-meter, liquid-propelled core booster and four solid-fuel side boosters. With a liftoff weight of 530 metric tons, the Long March 6A rocket is designed to transport satellites to multiple types of orbits, including sun-synchronous, low-Earth, and intermediate circular orbits.

This successful launch of the Long March 6A rocket carrying the Yaogan 40 satellite adds to China’s impressive record of space missions. It was the 42nd rocket launch the country has conducted this year and the 487th flight of the Long March rocket family, which is China’s main fleet of launch vehicles.