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China re-entered space yesterday evening, sending a communication satellite into orbit atop a Long March 3B rocket from a launch pad in Xichang in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. A spokesman for the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology said the flight, which blasted off at 8 pm, is the 84th successful flight of China's Long March rocket since its maiden voyage in 1970, and the 42nd consecutive successful flight since October 1996. The successful launch of the communication satellite, AsiaSat-6 which will be used by Hong Kong based company APT Satellite Limited, represents the return of Chinese rockets to the international commercial launch market after an absence of seven years, said a spokesman. |
