Private company's rocket puts satellites in space

A Beijing-based private company used its own carrier rocket to blast three satellites into space on Wednesday, marking China's first satellite launch by a private firm.

The mission, expected by many industry observers to mark a new chapter in the country's space industry, took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

Developed and produced by i-Space, a Beijing-based space startup founded by senior Chinese rocket scientists, the 9.5-meter SQX-1Z solid-fuel carrier rocket achieved liftoff at 1 pm. The 1-meter-diameter carrier has a maximum speed of 1.6 kilometers per second.