UPDATE - China sends 8 satellites into space in 1st launch of new year

UPDATES WITH GALACTIC ENERGY SATELLITE LAUNCHES; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Monday morning launched eight satellites into space, the country’s first space launch of the new year.

Three satellites named Shijian-23, Shiyan-22A, and Shiyan-22B were blasted off by the state at 6 a.m. Beijing time (2200GMT Sunday) from the Wenchang Spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan using a Long March-7 carrier rocket.

“It is the country’s first successful launch of 2023,” Chinese daily Global Times reported.

It was also the 459th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

The satellites will be “used for scientific experiments and technical verification, in-orbit verification tests of new technologies such as space environment monitoring.”

Meanwhile, China’s private rocket firm Galactic Energy launched five satellites into the space.

It was the firm’s fifth successful launch.

With Monday’s launch, the Chinese space firm has sent 19 satellites from its nine customers into space.

Last week, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced plans for more than 50 aerospace tasks in 2023.

It added that China’s T-shaped space station will resume normal operations this year.

“The manned space station project will enter the stage of application and development, and China’s space station will realize normalized operation in 2023,” said CASC General Manager Zhang Zhongyang.