A Long March-2D carrier rocket carrying a group of five experiment satellites blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Dec. 12, 2024. The five satellites were launched at 3:17 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Thursday and have entered the planned orbit.

The launch was the 551st mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)