China's Long March carrier rocket embarks on 400th mission

A Long March-4B rocket carrying the Shijian-6 05 satellites blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Dec. 10, 2021. China successfully sent a new group of satellites into space on Friday. The satellites, Shijian-6 05, will be used for space exploration and new technology test. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A Long March-4B rocket on Friday morning successfully sent a new group of satellites into space, marking the 400th launch mission of the China-developed Long March carrier rocket series.

Since the first launch in 1970, the Long March carrier rocket series has carried out 92.1 percent of China's space launch mission, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), developer of the rocket series and also the leading force of the country's space industry.

Over the past 51 years, the Long March series has sent more than 700 spacecraft into space, said the CASC.

In the 400 launch missions by Long March rockets, the first three 100 launches were completed in 37 years, 7 and a half years, and around 4 years, respectively.

While the lastest 100 launch missions were carried out within only 33 months since March 2019.