Long March 6 rocket carries experimental satellite to space

China used a Long March 6 carrier rocket to transport an experimental satellite into space on Tuesday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a leading State-owned space contractor.

The company said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 11:18 am at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province and soon placed the Shiyan 25 satellite into its preset orbit. The satellite will be used to verify new technologies for Earth observation, it said.

The launch mission was China's 25th rocket launch this year. It marked the 477th flight of the Long March rocket family as well as the 11th of the Long March 6 model, the company noted.

Developed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary, the 29.3-meter Long March 6 is capable of placing about 1 metric ton of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit 700 kilometers above the ground.