HELSINKI — China conducted its 55th orbital launch of 2024, sending the Haiyang-4 (01) oceanography satellite into a near polar orbit. A Long March 4B rocket lifted off at 5:42 p.m. Eastern Nov. 13 (2242 UTC) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, north China. Insulation tiles fell from the payload fairing as the rocket climbed into the night sky, with shock diamonds visible in the exhaust from the rocket’s hypergolic propellant mix. China’s space authorities announced launch success within an hour of launch and revealed the payload to be the…
