CHINA-INTERNAL: SPACE

 China's Global Times on November 27, 2014, published an article on the Kuaizhou-2 (KZ-2) quick-response launch vehicle launched into space by China on November 21, 2014, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert. Designed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the KZ-2 can be launched into orbit carrying various payloads at just half a day's notice. A Chinese official confirmed that the KZ-2 was sent into space as an optical remote sensing satellite.

The Kuaizhou launch vehicle was developed with three solid-fueled stages and an integrated liquid-fueled fourth stage which remains attached to the payload to provide propulsive capability to the satellite. It is 20m tall, weighs 30 metric tons and has the capability to deliver payloads of up to 430kg. During the first stage of its launch, the vehicle is powered by a 1.7m-diameter solid rocket motor.
 
Global Times pointed out that the KZ-2 enhances China's global influence by allowing it to provide services to foreign nations, provide humanitarian assistance to its partners around the world, monitor Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps' crop fields and the water quality of the Qiantang river in eastern China. Global Times said that compared to satellites launched by the US, Russia, and European nations, the Kuaizhou vehicles offer an inexpensive service to the international community.






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