Weightless tests push boundary of knowledge

With the launch of China's first microgravity satellite, SJ-10, early on Wednesday, scientists look forward to the results of experiments that could shed new light on a range of questions, from biology to the physical properties of substances, in a weightless environment.

The recoverable satellite blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province at 1:38 am, carried by a Long March 2-D rocket. It will stay in orbit for several days before its return capsule heads back to Earth. The orbital module will continue to conduct experiments for a few more days.

"Microgravity - the environment created during weightlessness - is an extreme condition that changes every physical phenomenon we are familiar with, which is why microgravity research has been a science hot spot internationally," said Hu Wenrui, the chief scientist on the SJ-10 project, who is a prominent physicist and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.