China's Long March rocket carries record-breaking 22 satellites

A modified version of China's Long March 8 carrier rocket transported 22 satellites into orbit on Sunday morning in its debut flight, setting a record for the most satellites launched by a single Chinese rocket.

The rocket blasted off at 11:06 am from a coastal launch tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Southern China's Hainan province and flew more than 15 minutes before deploying all of the 22 small satellites, which were built by seven institutes and private companies, according to a statement from the China National Space Administration, the organizer of the launch mission.

Most of the launched satellites are tasked with conducting remote-sensing operations with their optical instruments.

The major user of the rocket is Changguang Satellite Technology, a State-owned enterprise in Northeast China's Jilin province, as it manufactured and will operate 10 satellites.

Before the mission, the domestic record for the most satellites launched by a single rocket was held by the first flight of the Long March 6 model in September 2015, which deployed 20 satellites. The world record is held by SpaceX's Falcon 9, which lifted 143 satellites in January last year.