A Long March-3B rocket carrying a new data relay satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 23, 2026. (Photo: CMG)

China successfully sent a new data relay satellite, Tianlian II-06, into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, on Thursday.

Launched aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 8 p.m., the satellite will provide data relay and telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) services for crewed spacecraft, the space station and medium- and low-Earth-orbit resource satellites. It also plays a key role for spacecraft launches.

The mission was the 658th flight of the Long March rocket series.