Watch Chinese Rocket Blast Off From Hainan With Satellite in Lead-Up to 2020 Mars Mission

The Long March 5 is 57 metres tall and weighs 867,000 kg; the massive, heavy lift rocket was manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and is viewed as one of the most powerful launch vehicles in the world.

China has successfully launched its Long March 5 rocket from a launch site on the island of Hainan. The heavy-lift vehicle carried a Shinjian 20 satellite into orbit.

In the video of the launch, uploaded by Spaceflight Now portal on Twitter, the rocket is seen just moments before it blasts off. Another camera angle captures a top-down view of the take-off.

Watch a video replay of today’s Long March 5 launch from Hainan Island: https://t.co/nZTehqozYO pic.twitter.com/Ie6KQYBeCo

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) December 27, 2019

​China is eyeing a mission to Mars, and hopes to send a rover to the red planet as early as next year. The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation is expecting the mission to arrive at Mars in 2021.

The Long March 5 rocket is capable of propelling such a rover outside the Earth's orbit.

In November, Chinese media reported that Beijing had tested its Mars lander in conditions simulating the Martian surface.