China launched a Long March 4B carrier rocket on Friday afternoon to place a group of remote-sensing satellites in space, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.<\/p>\n
The State-owned space contractor said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 3:35 pm at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China\u2019s Sichuan province and transported the Yaogan 43A satellites into their preset orbit.<\/p>\n
The Yaogan 43A satellites were built by the China Academy of Space Technology and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, both of them are CASC subsidiaries.<\/p>\n
They are the newest in China\u2019s fleet of remote-sensing satellites, which refer to spacecraft tasked with detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of objects on land or at sea by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation.<\/p>\n
Data obtained by the Yaogan family, the major series of remote-sensing spacecraft in China, has been widely used in governments, public service sectors and businesses.<\/p>\n
The Long March 4B rocket model is built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. The model can transport multiple satellites with a combined weight of 2.5 metric tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.<\/p>\n