The State-owned conglomerate said in a news release the rocket blasted off at 10:54 pm and soon transported the satellite, named Communication Technology Demonstrator 10, into a preset orbit.

Developed by the company's Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the satellite will be used to verify multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technologies.

The Long March 7A rocket type, designed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, has a liftoff weight of 573 metric tons and a core-stage diameter of 3.35 meters. It is capable of placing a 7-ton spacecraft to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. By now, it has carried out five flights.

The mission was China's 51st rocket launch this year and the 495th flight of the Long March rocket family, the nation's main launch vehicle fleet.

Debris from Chinese rocket reenters atmosphere, mostly burning up
Debris from the second stage of the newly launched Long March 2F Y17 carrier rocket reentered the Earth's atmosphere at 11:18 am on Friday (Beijing Time), the China Manned Space Agency said.

The vast majority of the device burned up during reentry and the debris fell into the sea, with the center of the landing area at a latitude of 31.3 degrees south and a longitude of 158.4 degrees east, according to a statement from the agency.

The Long March rocket, carrying the Shenzhou XVII manned spaceship, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China on Oct 26.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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