BEIJING, Dec. 9 -- The Long March-8A carrier rocket, designed to serve as China's future primary launch vehicle for medium- and low-Earth orbit missions, is scheduled to conduct its maiden flight in January next year, according to its developer China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

The Long March-8A was successfully loaded onto a ship on Monday and began its journey to the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province.

"The Long March-8A is an upgraded version of the Long March-8 rocket, specifically developed to meet the launch requirements of large-scale constellation networks in medium- and low-Earth orbits," said Song Zhengyu, chief designer of the Long March-8 rocket from the CALT.

He added that the Long March-8A features advanced performance, low cost, high reliability and rapid launch capability.

The Long March-8A, developed over a period of 28 months, has completed 44 major ground tests to date and overcome several key technological challenges, said Xiao Yun, chief commander of the Long March-8 from the CALT. "We are confident and capable of successfully accomplishing this launch mission."