spacetoday.net: China launches space science satellite

Posted: Tue, Dec 30, 2003, 10:32 AM ET (1532 GMT)
Long March 2C/SM launch of Double Star 1 (Xinhua)

A Long March booster launched a Sino-European space science satellite early Monday on what should be the final launch of 2003. The Long March 2C/SM lifted off from the Xichang launch center in China's Sichuan province at 2:06 pm EST Monday (1906 GMT Monday, 3:06 am Beijing time Tuesday) and placed the Double Star TC-1 spacecraft into orbit 12 minutes later. The spacecraft will fly in an elliptical orbit of 550 by 66,970 km, inclined 28.5 degrees to the Equator. The spacecraft, a joint project between China and the European Space Agency, is one of a pair of spacecraft that will be used to study the Sun's interaction with the Earth's magnetic field. The second spacecraft, TC-2, is scheduled for launch in mid-2004; it will have an elliptical polar orbit. The launch was the seventh this year for China and the 63rd of the year worldwide. Barring any unannounced launches in the next two days, it will also be the final launch of 2003.