China launches satellite to test space environment monitor tech

China launched a new satellite into planned orbit on Saturday, saying it would be used primarily for in-orbit testing of new technologies.

The Shiyan-20 C satellite was launched at 9.01 a.m. local time (0101GMT) on a Long March-2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, local media reported.

The launch marked the 445th mission of the Long March series carrier rockets, the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.

Designed and built by the Shanghai-based Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the spacecraft will serve in tests of new technologies, such as space environmental monitoring, the China Daily said.