BEIJING — A Chinese newly-launched satellite will provide technical support for orbit prediction and collision warning of space vehicles, said one of its developers on July 29.

The experimental satellite, which improves the inversion accuracy of atmospheric density, was launched atop a Lijian-1 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China on July 27.

Weighing 36 kg and measuring 60 cm in diameter, the satellite has two receivers of the global navigation satellite system and a laser corner reflector for accurate atmospheric density inversion.

It was co-developed by the National Space Science Center and the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The satellite is spherical, which can significantly reduce the influence caused by various parameters, such as the damping coefficient of its surface, compared to satellites with irregular shapes, said the center.