China to launch its second heavy-lift carrier rocket into space on Sunday

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Beijing: China will launch its second powerful heavy- lift rocket into space on Sunday, July 2.

The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence said on Satuirday that the Long March-5 Y2 would be launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China's southern Hainan Province on Sunday.

It also said propellant for the rocket, which will send the Shijian-18 communication satellite into orbit, began to be pumped in on this afternoon.

After arriving at the launch base in early May, the rocket was assembled and tested there.

The Long March-5 made its maiden flight in November 2016 in Wenchang, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China launched its first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, into space in April, using the country's heaviest Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket to dock with the orbiting experimental space station which was expected to be operationalised by 2022.

Tianzhou-1 was larger and heavier than Tiangong-2, which is 10.4 meters in length and has a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, weighing 8.6 tonnes.

(With PTI inputs)