China debuted a new solid-fueled booster Thursday in an unannounced flight that put a small satellite into polar orbit, adding another rocket to the countrys growing fleet of lightweight launchers. <\/p>\n
The KT-2 rocket lifted off at 2353 GMT (6:53 p.m. EST) Thursday from the Jiuquan space center, a military-run base in northwestern Chinas Gobi Desert, according to a report from the government-owned Xinhua news agency. <\/p>\n
The secretive launch occurred at 7:53 a.m. Beijing time Friday without an official announcement ahead of time, other than a notice to pilots published two days before the mission warning of drop zones for the KT-2s spent motor casings. <\/p>\n
Little is known about the KT-2 rockets design. The multi-stage booster could be based on technology developed for the Chinese militarys road-mobile DF-31 ballistic missile, with the addition of an upper stage to place an object into orbit. <\/p>\n
Chinese social media accounts shared several photos appearing to show the KT-2 launch around sunrise at Jiuquan. <\/p>\n
Xinhua reported the rocket was developed by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp., or CASIC, with the intention of eventually launching commercial satellites. <\/p>\n
The KT-2 rocket is one of the five carrier systems in the CASIC commercial space plan, Xinhua reported. It features high carrying efficiency and adaptability, according to the CASIC. <\/p>\n
China has developed several new small satellite launchers in recent years. The Long March 11 rocket, managed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, another state-owned space contractor, debuted in 2015. The Kuaizhou 1 booster, another CASIC product, has launched satellites three times since 2013 with two different variants. <\/p>\n
The payload aboard the KT-2 launch wasa small satellite named TK-1, the first spacecraft independently developed by CASIC, Xinhua reported. The TK-1 satellite will be used for remote sensing, telecommunications and experiments in minisatellite-based technologies, the news agency said. <\/p>\n
The U.S. militarys satellite tracking network detected two objects from the launch. One of the objects, likely the payload, is in a near-circular orbit ranging in altitude from 236 miles (381 kilometers) to 250 miles (403 kilometers) with an inclination of 96.9 degrees to the equator. <\/p>\n
Another object, believed to be the KT-2s upper stage, was found in a lower orbit, positioned to expedite its re-entry into Earths atmosphere, a common tactic to minimize space debris. <\/p>\n
The KT-2s inaugural mission was the third Chinese space launch of the year, and the second from Jiuquan. <\/p>\n
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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1. <\/p>\n
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Small experimental satellite launched by new Chinese rocket - Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" China debuted a new solid-fueled booster Thursday in an unannounced flight that put a small satellite into polar orbit, adding another rocket to the countrys growing fleet of lightweight launchers. The KT-2 rocket lifted off at 2353 GMT (6:53 p.m Continue reading