Chinese private firm successfully launches suborbital rocket

A suborbital rocket developed by a private Chinese company was successfully launched on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.

The OS-X1, developed and produced by One Space, can reach a speed of Mach 4.5 in load flight, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Suborbital rockets usually have a flight path of less than one complete orbit of the Earth. They can reach an altitude of more than 100 kms above sea level and then fall back to Earth. Suborbital rockets or satellites are primarily used for scientific experiments.

This was the company's second launch this year.

The mission, termed by many industry observers as a landmark in the country's space industry, was conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, which marked the first time that a private rocket blasted off from a government-run space launch site, official media reported.

On September 5, a Beijing-based private company i-Space fired three mini satellites into space using its own rocket, marking China's first satellite launch by a privately-built rocket.