CASIC launches its first satellite into space

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp launched a Kaituo 2 carrier rocket on Friday to send the company's first satellite into orbit.

The launch took place at 7:53 am at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China. A Kaituo 2 solid-fueled rocket placed the Tiankun 1 technology demonstration satellite into its preset orbit, said a statement by CASIC.

Tiankun 1, developed by the CASIC Second Academy in Beijing starting in March 2014, is a small, low-orbiting satellite designed to test remote sensing and communications technologies. Based on a modular design, it carries visual-light, infrared and microwave equipment that can observe Earth and space debris, the statement said.