China Launches Kunpeng-1B Sounding Rocket

Sputnik News

14:18 27.04.2016(updated 14:26 27.04.2016)

China has successfully launched the Kunpeng-1B sounding rocket from a launch pad in Danzhou City in the southern Chinese Hainan Province.

BEIJING (Sputnik) – The research rocket, which is due to take measurements in the upper atmosphere and help with high-speed flight and space tourism research, was launched at 2 a.m. local time (18:00 GMT Tuesday) by China's National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Xinhua news agency reported.

The rocket reached a maximum height of 316 kilometers (196 miles), with the total flight time coming to 10 minutes.

Sounding rockets are low-cost launch vehicles designed to carry scientific instruments that take measurements during the rocket's sub-orbital flight. China first launched a Kunpeng-1 rocket in April 2013.

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