China launches new satellite

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying the Smart SkyNet-1 01 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 9, 2024. (Photo by Lu Hao/Xinhua)

XICHANG, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday launched a Long March-3B carrier rocket, placing a new satellite in space.

The rocket blasted off at 9:43 a.m. (Beijing Time) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, sending the Smart SkyNet-1 01 satellite into its preset orbit.

It was the 521st flight mission of the Long March rocket series.

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying the Smart SkyNet-1 01 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 9, 2024. (Photo by Lu Hao/Xinhua)

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying the Smart SkyNet-1 01 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 9, 2024. (Photo by Lu Hao/Xinhua)

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying the Smart SkyNet-1 01 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 9, 2024. (Photo by Yang Xi/Xinhua)