China's solid-fueled KuaiZhou-1A (KZ-1A) Y11 carrier rocket blasted off at 11:40 am on Wednesday. Photo: Screenshot of video from China's CCTV News

China's solid-fueled KuaiZhou-1A (KZ-1A) Y11 carrier rocket blasted off at 11:40 am on Wednesday and successfully sent the Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A satellite into planned orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province.

The KZ-1A carrier rocket is developed by the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation (CASIC). It is capable of lifting 200 kilograms into a 700-kilometer sun synchronous orbit, according to a press release sent from CASIC to the Global Times on Tuesday.

KZ-1A has high reliability and high tracking accuracy, and its cost is low, according to CASIC. This is KZ-1A's second launch mission in 2019, the first time the KZ-1A has achieved multiple launches within one year and the fourth commercial launch of KZ-1A, maintaining a 100 percent success record of commercial launches, CASIC said.

The Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A satellite is a high-resolution optical satellite independently developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. 

After entering the planned orbit, the Jilin-1 constellation will have 14 satellites in the orbit, which helps provide timely remote sensing information services in many fields, including agricultural and forestry production, environmental monitoring and smart city, according to CASIC.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the successful launch demonstrates China's mature technology for launching such small solid-fueled carrier rockets.

"China's KZ-1A carrier rocket will be very competitive in the international market of commercial launch because its launching cost is low," Wei said.

Wei added that KZ-1A is also capable of carrying small commercial satellites of different weights to provide reliable space launch vehicles for enterprises and research institutions.