| At 2:37 on December 22, the first flight test of my country’s self-developed medium-sized carrier rocket Long March 8 was successfully carried out at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. The rocket flew normally and the test was a complete success. The Long March 8 launch vehicle fully inherits the technical achievements of the Long March 5 and Long March 7 launch vehicles. It adopts non-toxic and pollution-free propellant. The core diameter is 3.35 meters, the core diameter is 3 meters, the fairing diameter is 4.2 meters, and 2 bundles. The booster has a diameter of 2.25 meters, a total length of about 50.3 meters, a take-off mass of about 356 tons, and a 700-kilometer solar synchronous orbit carrying capacity of not less than 4.5 tons, which fills the gap in the carrying capacity of China’s sun synchronous orbit from 3 to 4.5 tons. The upgrade of the rocket is of great significance. It will form a new generation of carrier rockets with a reasonable layout of large, medium and small carrying capacity with the Long March 5, Long March 6, and Long March 7 non-toxic and pollution-free launch vehicles. The five experimental satellites carried by the Long March 8 carrier rocket for the first flight have accurately entered the predetermined orbit. The relevant satellite payload will verify the microwave imaging and other technologies in orbit, and carry out space science, remote sensing, and communication technology experiments and applications. The Long March 8 launch vehicle project was approved by the National Space Administration in 2017 and organized and implemented. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology affiliated to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is responsible for the development of the launch vehicle system. The China Satellite Launch and Control System Department is responsible for the flight test organization Implement. This mission is the 356th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets. |
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