Space
China Launches New Rocket Crucial to Challenging Musk’s Starlink
- Long March 8A intended to be main vehicle to low-Earth orbit
- China’s Spacesail has deals with Brazilian, Malaysian partners
Photographer: VCG/Visual China Group/Getty Images
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A new Chinese rocket took off on its debut mission, marking a major step in Beijing’s effort to catch up with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The first Long March 8A rocket launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan, the island province in the South China Sea, at 5:30 p.m. local time, state media reported.