China sent into orbit a
clandestine remote sensing satellite Wednesday during a launch that was
announced less than a day in advance.
A Long March 2C rocket
blasted off at 0255 GMT Wednesday from the Taiyuan space base in northern
China's Shanxi province. The two-stage booster, propelled by a noxious mix of
hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, deftly guided the secret Yaogan 6 satellite
into orbit, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Tracking data indicate the
rocket achieved a sun-synchronous orbit with an average altitude of about 300
miles.
China will use Yaogan 6 for
land resource surveys, environmental surveillance, urban planning, crop yield
estimates, disaster response, and space science experiments, Xinhua reported.
But Western analysts believe
the spacecraft is actually a military reconnaissance satellite, possibly
outfitted with a night-vision, cloud-piercing radar that can observe objects on
the ground during darkness and all weather conditions.
The Yaogan series is likely
a cover for a
fleet of spy satellites carrying radars and digital optical observation
equipment.
Yaogan satellites have been
launched from Taiyuan and the Jiuquan space center.
The flight was the second
space launch of the year for China, coming eight days after the launch
of a new navigation satellite.
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