Summary The satellite is known as CBERS-3 (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 3).
BEIJING (AFP) - A environmental monitoring satellite launched Monday from a Chinese centre has failed to enter orbit, state media said, in a rare setback for the country s ambitious space programme.
The satellite, jointly developed by China and Brazil, blasted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in the northern province of Shanxi on a Long March 4B rocket at 11.26am (03.26 GMT), Xinhua said.
"The rocket malfunctioned during the flight, and the satellite failed to enter orbit," the state news agency quoted military sources as saying.
The satellite is known as CBERS-3 (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 3), or Ziyuan I-03 in Chinese. Ziyuan is the Chinese word for "resource".
A satellite venture was set up between the two countries in 1996 to help Brazil monitor its forests, oceans and agricultural production, as well as for commercial sale.
Two satellites of the series were launched in 1999 and 2003 aboard Chinese-made Long March rockets.
China launched its first moon rover mission last week, the latest step in an ambitious space programme which is seen as a symbol of its rising global stature.
The rover -- known as Yutu, or Jade Rabbit -- is due to land on the moon in mid-December.
China sees its space programme as a symbol of its growing international status and technological advancement, as well as of the Communist Party s success in reversing the fortunes of the once impoverished nation.
It aims to establish a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send a human to the moon.
