China launches remote sensing satellite

BEIJING: China today successfully launched a remote sensing satellite to carry out land surveys and disaster relief.

The satellite named Yaogan-30 was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China's Gobi Desert.

The satellite will be used for experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Yaogan-30 was carried by a Long March-2D rocket, the 227th mission for the Long March rocket family.

China launched the first "Yaogan" series satellite, Yaogan-1, in 2006.