China sends multirole satellite into orbit: Report

China launched a Long March 6A carrier rocket to send a multirole satellite into orbit on Wednesday morning, China Daily reported, citing the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

In a news release, the Stateowned space contractor announced that the rocket was launched at 6:51am from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province, successfully placing the Yunhai 3B satellite into its designated orbit.

The satellite is tasked with surveying atmospheric, marine and space environments, providing data to support disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, and carrying out scientific experiments, it said.

Both of the satellite and rocket were designed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary. By now, China has deployed a number of Yunhaiseries multifunctional satellites in space via several launches.

The medium-lift Long March 6A consists of a 50-metre, liquid-propelled core booster and four solid-fuel side boosters. The core booster has a diameter of 3.35 metres and is propelled by two 120-tonne-thrust engines burning liquid oxygen and kerosene.

With a lift-off weight of 530 metric tonnes, the rocket is mainly used to transport satellites to multiple types of orbit, including sun-synchronous, low-earth, and intermediate circular orbit.

The launch mission marked the country’s 14th space mission this year and the 514th flight of the Long March rocket family, the nation’s major space launch vehicle fleet.