On November 3, 2019 at 04:22 UTC the “Long March – 4B” (“Changzheng-4B”) rocket-carrier was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province. The rocket orbited the “Gaofen-7” observation satellite designed to collect three-dimensional mapping imagery. The rocket also orbited three smaller spacecraft, including one to test an innovative French-made iodine thruster, and another satellite built for Sudan.