The Chinese government successfully launched its heavy-lift Long March 5, carrying a satellite named Shijian 20 from a launch site on the island of Hainan.
China has promoted plans to reach Mars in 2020, and Friday’s launch is a positive sign after a failed launch in July 2017. At 187 feet tall, the Long March 5 is considered one of the largest and most powerful rockets in the world.
The launch bolsters Chinese hopes to send a Mars rover scheduled for 2020. The rover will require the Long March 5’s lift capability to exit Earth’s orbit.
Chinese space engineers will have a short window of only several weeks during 2020 to launch the rover, or else, they will be forced to wait for better conditions in 2022.
Watch a video replay of today’s Long March 5 launch from Hainan Island: https://t.co/nZTehqozYO pic.twitter.com/Ie6KQYBeCo
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) December 27, 2019
