A new Chinese carrier rocket has made its first flight today, paving the way towards China's ambitious mission of sending travellers into space by 2045. The newly launched rocket is part of China's long-term plan to develop reusable launch vehicles that could operate thousands of commercial space flights a year, carrying passengers and cargo. The carrier rocket Long March 8 Y-1 blasted off this morningThe Long March 8 Y-1 launch wrapped up a hectic year for China's space programme. The five experimental satellites launched by the new rocket will conduct experiments in space science, remote sensing and communication technologies, said Xinhua. In July, China launched its first independent mission to Mars with Tianwen-1, the Chinese spacecraft aimed to arrive on the Red Planet in early February.

Source: Daily Mail December 22, 2020 11:56 UTC