Posted: Tue, Sep 28, 2004, 9:32 AM ET (1332 GMT)
China launched what it described as a recoverable science satellite Monday morening, just two days after a similar satellite returned to Earth. A Long March 2D lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 4 am EDT (0800 GMT, 4 pm Beijing time) and released the satellite into orbit 10 minutes later. The unnamed satellite, 20th in a series of recoverable satellites, will apparently be used for imaging work, including geological surveying and mapping. The spacecraft is described as having a "better performance" than previous models, but Chinese reports did not elaborate. The spacecraft is expected to remain in orbit several days before returning to Earth. The launch took place two days after another Chinese recoverable satellite landed on Earth. That satellite had spent 27 days in orbit.
