spacetoday.net: China performs first launch of its Long March 11

China performs first launch of its Long March 11

Posted: Sat, Sep 26, 2015, 10:38 AM ET (1438 GMT)
China made the first launch of its Long March 11 small launch vehicle on Friday, placing several small satellites into orbit. The Long March 11 lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:41 pm EDT Thursday (0141 GMT, 9:41 am Beijing time Friday) and placed four microsatellites into orbit, according to official media. The solid-fueled Long March 11 is intended to perform launches of satellites weighing up to a few hundred kilograms into low Earth orbit on relatively short notice. China had previously developed a similar rocket, the Kaituozhe-1, but it made only two launches, one unsuccessful, in the early 2000s.