At 2343 GMT on 8 October, China launched a Long March 2D (CZ-2D) rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to LEO. The payload carried was the ASO-S (Advanced Space-borne Solar Observatory) solar observation mission which is intended to monitor the sun 24 hours a day over its four year mission life. The 888 kg satellite will operate in a circa 720 km, sun-synchronous orbit. The mission is sponsored by the China Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The Long March rocket lifts-off against the rising sun. Courtesy of Xinhua/Wang Jiangbo
