XICHANG, May 9 -- 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.