China improves Long March-6 rocket

A Long March 3B carrier rocket lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province to place two Beidou navigation satellites in orbit. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING — China announced Monday that it is developing the modified version of the Long March-6 rocket to add four solid boosters to increase its carrying capacity.

The improved medium-left carrier rocket will be sent into space by 2020, according to the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., which designed the rocket.

The Long March-6 has been mainly used for the academy’s commercial launches. The rocket completed two space tests in September 2015 and November 2017, carrying 20 satellites and three satellites respectively.

The rocket is 29.3 meters long, with a launch weight of 103 tons. It has a carrying capacity of one ton for sun-synchronous orbit.