On 2011-08-09, Orval Fairbairn wrote:
In article ci.org,
Anonymous wrote:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n...rch/index.html

"Launching in a torrential rain and lightning storm, a Long March
rocket lifted off Tuesday from southwest China and successfully
released a navigation satellite in orbit, state-run media reported."

Are they taking huge risks or are their rockets that reliable?

Huge risks. T-storm wind gusts can overpower the controllability of a
rocket both at launch and at max Q. They could have lost the bird.

Don't forget: Chinese, as well as before Soviet Union, do not care
about resources and are using ballistic rockets for spacecrafts. They
were build to launch in difficult conditions.

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