A People’s Republic of China weather-monitoring satellite operated in a Sun-synchronous orbit. It carried scanning radiometers in 10 visible and infrared wavelengths to monitor cloud coverage and ocean colours/temperatures. The craft was launched in 1999 by a Long-March 4B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It was destroyed on 11 January 2007 during a Chinese anti-satellite missile test—the first known successful intercept since a US test in 1985.