ANKARA

China Sunday said it has launched a Long March 2D carrier rocket, placing a remote sensing satellite in space.

The rocket blasted off at 7:45 a.m. (Beijing time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan and sent the Yaogan-42 02 satellite into the preset orbit, state-run Xinhua News reported.

The latest launch marked the 17th rocket launch of 2024, and the 517th flight overall for the Long March rocket family, the nation's workhorse launch vehicle fleet.

The Long March 2D rocket, fueled by liquid propellants and boasting a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons, is capable of launching 1.3-ton spacecraft into sun-synchronous orbits at roughly 700 kilometers (435 miles) in altitude.