Posted: Sat, Oct 26, 2013, 7:19 AM ET (1119 GMT)
A Chinese Long March rocket placed what officials described as an experimental satellite into orbit on Friday. The Long March 4B rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 11:50 pm EDT Thursday (0350 GMT, 11:50 am Beijing time Friday) and placed the Shijian-16 satellite into low Earth orbit. The satellite will be used for "space environment exploration and technological experiments," according to official Chinese media. The launch also ended a nearly four-week drought in orbital launches worldwide, dating back to a Proton launch early September 30.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  Xinhua article