Long March 8A carrier rocket makes successful debut

China conducted the debut flight of its Long March 8A carrier rocket on Tuesday afternoon, transporting a group of satellites to space, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The space industry conglomerate said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 5:30 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Site, a coastal spaceport in Hainan province, and soon placed the payloads — the second group of low-orbit satellites in China's State-owned internet network — into their preset orbit.

The launch marked the 559th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.