China, on Saturday, conducted a successful liftoff of its flagship Long March 3B booster carrier rocket carrying its first satellite for mobile telecommunication

On August 5, the country's first Tiantong-01 mobile communications satellite was launched at 00:22 a.m. Beijing Time, from the LC3 Launch Complex at southwestern China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center located in Sichuan Province.

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The success of the launch of the first satellite for China's home-made satellite mobile telecom system was confirmed shortly after liftoff by Chinese state-run media.

Before the launch of the satellite, which will form a key part of the country's space information infrastructure, there was no official indication of the upcoming event. People confused the launch with an earthquake due to rumbling and shaking of windows.

More geostationary satellites are expected to be sent into space for the system.

Tiantong-01 was created by China Academy of Space Technology and will be operated by China Telecom. It will provide services for China, Middle East, Africa and other regions.

The Long March 3B carrier rocket, which was produced by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, began its short vertical ascent lasting just a few moments until it started pitching and moving in a southeast direction with the goal of flying over the Pacific Ocean.

The rocket's four boosters burned for about two minutes and 20 seconds before separating from the launch vehicle.

A while later, the rocket, powered by the second stage, flew for nearly three minutes until the engines cut off. The separation of the second stage happened at roughly five-and-a-half minutes into the flight

It was the 232nd flight of the Long March series bearer rockets and the 36th launch of the Long March-3B. 

Tagschina satellite, China telecommunications, China tech news