China's 63rd rocket launch of year puts four satellites into orbit

China launched a Kuaizhou 1A carrier rocket on Monday morning 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 9 am and placed four satellites that are part of the Tianmu 1 meteorological observation network into preset orbits. The mission marked the 23rd flight of the Kuaizhou 1A model and the fourth this year.

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

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 63rd rocket launch this year.