Rocket lifts four satellites into orbit

China launched a Kuaizhou 1A carrier rocket on Wednesday afternoon from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwestern Gobi Desert, placing four satellites in orbit, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp said.

The State-owned space contractor said in a news release that the solid-propellant rocket blasted off at 2:50 pm from its launch vehicle and placed four satellites in the Tianmu 1 meteorological observation network into their preset orbits. The mission marked the 24th flight of the Kuaizhou 1A model and its sixth launch this year.

The satellites are tasked with surveying atmospheric environmental elements around the globe, CASIC said.

It was the second Kuaizhou 1A launch this week, with the rocket model also used to transport four Tianmu 1-series satellites into orbit on Monday.

Developed by China Space Sanjiang Group, a CASIC subsidiary in Hubei province, the 20-meter Kuaizhou 1A has a liftoff weight of about 30 metric tons. It is capable of sending 200 kilograms of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit, or 300 kg of payload into a low-Earth orbit, according to CASIC.

The mission marked China's 66th rocket launch this year.