Chinese rocket deploys third Tianhui mapping satellite

China’s third Tianhui mapping satellite, built for land resource surveys and scientific research, rocketed into space Monday aboard a Long March 2D rocket, Chinese state media reported. The spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan space center in northwest China’s Inner Mongolia province at 0710 GMT (3:10 a.m. EDT) Monday. The launch, which was not officially announced ahead of time except for a notice to pilots, occurred at 3:10 p.m. Beijing time. The 13-story Long March 2D booster, fueled by a mix of liquid hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, deployed the Tianhui 1C satellite into orbit a few minutes later. Tracking data released by the U.S. military showed an object attributed to Monday’s launch, presumably Tianhui 1C, in a near-circular orbit about 300 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth at an inclination of 97 degrees. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 27)