Full coverage: Successful Launch of Long March-7 Rocket

Long March-7 carrier rocket has just reached the launching pad in Wenchang, in Hainan, South China, just a few days before it is due for blast-off.

WENCHANG, June 22, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Long March-7 carrier rocket is transferred vertically to the launch pad in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, June 22, 2016. China plans to launch its new generation Long March-7 carrier rocket between Saturday and Wednesday from a new launch ground in Wenchang. The Long March-7 is a medium-sized rocket using liquid propellant that can carry up to 13.5 tonnes to low-Earth orbit. It will transport cargo for China's planned space station and is expected to become the main carrier for space launches. (Xinhua/Zeng Tao)

After a three-hour rail journey of several kilometres. The 600-tonne Long March-Seven rocket has been moved into position at the launch site at Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre.

“If everything goes very smoothly, according to the wearther conditions, we plan to move on to the next step: fueling up for launch,” said Zhang Zhenzhong, Commander of Long March-7 Launching Site.

The Long March-7 will transport cargo for China’s planned space station. With a breakthrough loading capacity of 18 tonnes, it is expected to become the main carrier for space launches.

Using new liquid fuel, it is environmentally-friendly and costs only a fraction of the fuel used by its predecessor. But the launch itself is by no means a simple procedure.

“The noise is just incredible when the rocket blasts off, and we’ve designed a ‘denoising’ technology to tackle the problem,” said Fan Hong, engineer of China Aerospace Science & Tech Corp.
 
And the noise is not the only problem. The high temperatures of the flame also makes the mission challenging.

“There are many yellow, mushroom-looking things on the surface of our launch pad. They are our first-level sprayer, forming a protective water layer. And we have a second-level sprayer when the rocket rises to a certain height,” Fan said.

Wenchang is one of China’s four space launch centres, and it is the first time that a rocket is taking off here. Moreover, there are many other scientific breakthroughs in the design of the rocket, such as its intense wind resistance, and its waterproof technology. And one more special thing for this launch is that the public will be able to watch what happens on the mainland for the first time.