China launches first globally successful orbital mission for methane-fueled rocket

China successfully flight-tested a methane-propelled carrier rocket on Wednesday morning at a launch facility in its northwestern Gobi Desert, marking the first orbital mission of any methane-fueled rocket in the world.

The rocket, named ZQ 2 - or Rosefinch 2, blasted off at 9 am at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and transported an experimental payload into Earth's orbit, said LandSpace, a Beijing-headquartered private enterprise that designed and built the rocket.

The successful mission also made ZQ 2 the largest and most powerful private rocket in China.