China's Long March rockets set record for consecutive successful launches

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Long March-2D rocket sent a satellite group into space on Saturday morning, marking 103 consecutive successful launches by the Chinese carrier rocket series.

The previous record for consecutive Long March rocket launches was 102, set from 1996 to 2011.

Since May 5, 2020, the Chinese carrier rocket series has achieved 103 consecutive victories in just 27 months, transporting more than 200 spacecraft into orbit, including space station modules, a lunar probe, a Mars probe and manned spaceships, said China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the country's major space contractor.

China is developing next-generation manned launch vehicles and heavy-lift rockets, which will take on future crewed missions to the moon and further expeditions to Mars, Jupiter and asteroids, the company said.