Long March rockets mark their 500th spaceflight

China used a Long March 2D carrier rocket on Sunday morning to send several remote-sensing satellites into space, marking the 500th launch of the Long March family.

The rocket blasted off at 9:58 am from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province, spitting red-orange flames and soaring into bright skies, which was caught on video published by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the maker of the Long March 2D series.

It was China's 59th rocket launch this year and the 13th flight of the Long March 2D model in 2023.