Retrievable Satellite Is China’s 30th Launch
China on Friday successfully launched its 30th satellite, a retrievable remote-sensing device that is to be in orbit for eight days, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The launch is China’s fifth this year, its busiest since China sent up its first satellite in 1970.
The satellite was launched by a Long March-2 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan space center in northwest China’s Gansu province, Xinhua said. It carries animals and plants whose reactions to weightlessness will be studied.
Already this year, China has launched two telecommunications satellites, a test satellite and a meteorological satellite. In the next two years, China plans to launch five satellites for foreign buyers of its launch services, which are reported to be much cheaper than in the West.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
