China launches remote-sensing satellite

China launched a remote-sensing satellite on Friday morning to fulfill several tasks, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's leading space contractor.

The State-owned conglomerate said in a news release that the Gaofen 11E was carried by a Long March 4B rocket that lifted off at 11:03 am at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi province and successfully arrived in its orbit.

Remote sensing satellites refer to those tasked with observing, surveying and measuring objects on land or at sea as well as monitoring weather.

Developed by China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing, a CASC subsidiary the Gaofen 11E is equipped with Earth-observation payloads and its data will be used in land mapping, urban and road construction planning, agricultural yield forecasting, and disaster prevention and mitigation, the company said.

It added that the spacecraft will also provide information support to the Belt and Road Initiative and national defense modernization.

China launched the Gaofen program in May 2010 and listed it as one of the 16 national important projects in science and technology. By now, the program has established a massive space-based system with more than 30 satellites in active service.

Images and data from the Gaofen satellites have been widely used at thousands of research bodies and enterprises in dozens of industries across China and have helped reduce the country's dependence on foreign remote-sensing products.

The Long March 4B rocket model is built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, another CASC subsidiary. The model can transport multiple satellites with a combined weight of 2.5 metric tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

So far, all of the five Gaofen 11-series satellites have been placed in orbit by the Long March 4B model.

The space mission was China's 33rd rocket launch this year and the 528th flight of the Long March rocket family, the nation's main launch vehicle fleet.