HELSINKI — China conducted an orbital launch Monday with no apparent advance indication, successfully sending the Shiyan-31 remote sensing test satellite into orbit.

A Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 6:00 a.m. Eastern (1000 UTC) Oct. 13 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, northwest China. Orange exhaust billowed out and insulation tiles fell away from the payload fairing as the hypergolic rocket climbed into a largely clear sky above the spaceport.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced a successful launch around an hour after liftoff, stating the payload to be the Shiyan-31 satellite. CASC stated that the satellite is primarily used to verify new optical imaging technology while providing no further details, as is standard for a

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