Macao's first space exploration satellite sent into space(1/5)

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying Macao's first space exploration satellite, Macao Science 1, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 21, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Jiangbo)

Macao Science 1 is the first space science satellite program jointly developed by the Chinese mainland and Macao. The project is also the first scientific exploration satellite placed in a near-equatorial orbit to monitor the geomagnetic field and the space environment.

It was the 474th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying Macao's first space exploration satellite, Macao Science 1, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 21, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Jiangbo)

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying Macao's first space exploration satellite, Macao Science 1, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 21, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Heng)

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying Macao's first space exploration satellite, Macao Science 1, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 21, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Jiangbo)

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying Macao's first space exploration satellite, Macao Science 1, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 21, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Heng)