China launches two satellites into orbit
(Reuters) Updated: 2006-10-24 09:31
China's
Space Activities in 2006 White paper on space activities issued
Beijing - China launched two satellites into space on
Tuesday aboard a Long March-4B carrier rocket, the Xinhua news agency reported,
the latest step in the country's space program.
 A Long
March 4-B carrier rocket carrying two satellites takes off at Taiyuan
Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province October 24, 2006.
The two satellites will be mainly used for space environment exploration,
Xinhua reported.[Xinhua]
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Both satellites successfully entered their orbits after an early morning
lift-off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of
Shanxi.
The two Shijian-6 satellites are designed to explore space environments,
radiation and to carry out related experiments.
China launched its first satellite in 1970 aboard a Long March rocket.
Since then, analysts estimate it has launched 50 satellites, which Sun
Laiyan, the head of China's National Space Administration, has said help with
weather forecasting and developing seeds that breed superior crops.
In 2003, China put a man in space, becoming only the third country to achieve
the feat after the United States and the former Soviet Union. The
country launched a second manned space flight last year, and plans a space
walk by 2008.
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