Satellite launched to conduct experiments in space

China launched an experimental satellite on Wednesday morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwestern desert, according to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp.

The State-owned company said in a release that a Kuaizhou 1A solid-propellant carrier rocket blasted off at 10:08 am from its launch vehicle and then placed the Tianxing 1 satellite into a preset orbit. The mission marked the 15th flight of the Kuaizhou 1A.

The satellite is tasked with surveying the environment in space and conducting experiments, according to the release.

The 20-meter Kuaizhou 1A has a liftoff weight of about 30 metric tons. It is capable of carrying a payload weighing up to 200 kilograms into a sun-synchronous orbit, or 300 kg into a low-Earth orbit, according to CASIC.

So far, 15 Kuaizhou 1As have been used to deploy more than 20 satellites into space.

Its last mission to ferry two commercial satellites failed in December in the middle of its flight.