XICHANG, China, April 19 (UPI) -- China launched its first nanotechnology-based satellite, Nano-satellite I, successfully into space Monday.
Nano-satellite I was the first nanotechnology-based satellite ever developed by a country independently, reported Xinhua, China's main government-run news agency.
The satellite made China the fourth country in the world capable of launching nano-satellites after Russia, the United States and Britain, according to Chinese space experts.
China's small satellites have been used for the purposes of scientific experiments, resource survey, natural disaster forecast, environment prospecting and monitoring.
The super small satellite, developed by the elite Qinghua University and Aerospace Qinghua Satellite Technologies Co. Ltd., features lighter weight and a higher degree of integrated designing than previous satellites.
