China launches CBERS-4 satellite on Long March rockets' 200th mission

China launched the CBERS-4 satellite, jointly developed with Brazil, on Sunday from the Taiyuan base by Long March-4B rocket, the 200th flight for the Long March rocket family.

The rocket blasted off at 11:26 a.m. and lifted the earth resource satellite into its scheduled orbit, according to the Taiyuan satellite launch center in north China's Shanxi province.

CBERS-4 is one of the satellites of the Chinese-Brazilian Earth Resource Satellite (CBERS) program which began in 1988. Such satellites are used in the monitoring, planning and management of land, forestry, water conservancy, environmental protection and agriculture.

Sunday's mission was the 200th flight for the Long March since April 24, 1970 when a Long March-1 carried China's first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, into space.

The 199th mission was completed last month by a Long March-2D which took the Yaogan-24 remote sensing satellite into orbit.

China started work on carrier rockets in 1956. Long March rockets have since become the main carriers for satellites and spacecraft, taking more than 250 into space, including the Shenzhou unmanned and manned spaceships, China's first space lab Tiangong-1, and lunar orbiters.

Lei Fanpei, chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the main contractor for the space program, told Xinhua that the Long March rockets will make at least another 100 launches in the next seven years. The rockets are designed and manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a CASC subsidiary.

"China has become the third country, after the United States and Russia, to complete 200 carrier rocket launches," he said.

The 100th launch came on June 1, 2007 when a Long March-3A took a communications satellite into orbit. There were seven failures in the first 100 launches. Since then, there have been just two, a better safety record than either the United States or Russia.

Carrying capacity and safety have a direct impact on satellites and spacecraft, so China's space program depends a lot on these rockets, said Li Tongyu of the academy.

Liu Jiyuan won the Von Karman Award from the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) in 2011 and readily admits to the gap between China and other countries on carrying capacity.

Carrier rockets made by the United States, Russia and Europe are capable of lifting at least a 20-tonne payloads into low Earth orbit, while China's current rockets can only deliver less than half that, Liu said.

China needs more capable, non-toxic and safe carrier rockets if it is to establish a manned space station and run other space programs. The next-generation rockets include the large Long March-5 and the smaller Long March-7.

Lei Fanpei considers the Long March-5 a breakthrough for large-thrust rockets. Using non-polluting propellant, the Long March-5 should make its maiden flight within the next two years, probably at a new launch site in South China's Hainan Province.

The Long March-5 will have a 25 tonne payload capacity to low Earth orbits, or 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, about twice current capacity, and could be a serious competitor to the US Delta-4H.

It is designed with the space station in mind, Lei said.

The Long March-7 will carry up to 13.5 tonnes to low Earth orbit or 5.5 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 700 km. It will carry cargo craft for the planned space station. Its maiden flight should be next year.

Chinese scientists are also working hard on a powerful heavy carrier rocket for a manned moon landing.