China's seaside commercial spacecraft launch site completes first mission

China on Saturday launched a new carrier rocket, the Long March-12, into space from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, marking the inaugural mission from the country's first commercial launch facility.

The rocket is designed with a carrying capacity of no less than 12 tones in low Earth orbit and no less than six tones in 700-km sun-synchronous orbit.

The site currently features two launch pads for liquid-propellant rockets. Saturday’s launch was the 548th flight mission of the Long March rocket series.