| Updated: 2016-05-12 09:39:25 | (China Daily Europe) |
China's new-generation Long March 7 rocket departed the Tianjin port for its launch base in Hainan province on May 8. It took researchers eight years to develop the medium-sized rocket, which can carry up to 13.5 metric tons of payload into low Earth orbit, according to Li Hong, director of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp's Carrier Rocket Technology Research Institute.