China launches four experimental satellites

China launched four experimental satellites into space on Saturday, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp said.

The satellites, part of the Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator series, were developed by Beijing-based GalaxySpace and Changchun-based Changguang Satellite Technology.

A Long March 2D rocket carried the satellites into orbit after lifting off at noon from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert, the state-owned contractor said.

The satellites will test technologies that allow mobile phones to connect with satellites and integrate ground- and space-based internet networks.

GalaxySpace said its two satellites were built at a smart satellite plant in Nantong, Jiangsu province. The company said it has built and launched more than 20 satellites, including China's first plate-shaped satellites equipped with flexible solar arrays.

The Long March 2D rocket, designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, runs on liquid propellants and has a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons. It can carry a 1.3-ton spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

Saturday's launch was China's 17th space launch this year and the 567th flight of the Long March rocket series.