Long March-4B rocket fails to launch joint satellite into orbit

China said late on Monday it failed to put into orbit a satellite jointly developed by the nation and Brazil, due to rocket malfunctions.

A statement carried by the Xinhua News Agency said the Ziyuan-1-03 remote sensing satellite was launched at 11:26 am aboard a Long March-4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, but malfunctions occurred during the flight, resulting in the satellite failing to enter its preset orbit.

Experts from both countries are analyzing the cause of the malfunctions and said they are "confident in their future cooperation", the statement added without giving any further details.