China launches 14 satellites into orbit

China has launched a Long March 2D carrier rocket to transport 14 satellites into space, China Daily informs, citing the Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The rocket lifted off at 11:14 am on January 15 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province and placed the satellites, including Qilu 2 and Luojia 3-01, to their preset orbits, the State-owned company said in a press release as per China Daily.

Long March 2D, designed and built by the Shanghai academy, is propelled by liquid propellants and has a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tonnes. It is capable of sending a 1.3-tonne spacecraft to a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometres.

To carry the 14 satellites, which were built by seven institutes and enterprises, the rocket's designers developed a new small-satellite adapter that can be a solution to future launches tasked with carrying many small satellites, according to the company.

The launch marked the 462nd flight of the Long March rocket fleet and China's fifth rocket liftoff in 2023.