HAIKOU -  Chinese scientists launched a sounding rocket from south China's Hainan Province in the early hours of Wednesday.

Kunpeng-1B was launched from Danzhou City at 2 a.m. by the National Space Science Center (NSSC).

The rocket fulfilled its mission of taking measurements in the upper atmosphere that will help with research of rocket sounding, high-speed flight and space tourism, said the NSSC.

Peaking at 316 km, the whole flight took about 10 minutes.

NSSC head Wu Ji said sounding rockets are an efficient tool for space exploration and scientific experiments, able to study physical phenomena including geomagnetic fields, cosmic rays and ultraviolet light.