China sends latest satellite into orbit via Long March

China launched a remote-sensing satellite into orbit on Tuesday with the help of a Long March 7A carrier rocket, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The State-owned space contractor said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 10 am from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province to take the Yaogan 45 satellite into its preset orbit.

Built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the satellite is tasked with facilitating scientific experiments, surveying land resources, monitoring agricultural yields and supporting disaster prevention and mitigation.

Remote-sensing satellites are usually used to detect and monitor the physical characteristics of objects on land or at sea by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation. Data obtained by the Yaogan family, China's major series of remote-sensing spacecraft, has been widely used by both government and the private sector.

A product of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, the Long March 7A rocket type has a liftoff weight of 573 metric tons and a core-stage diameter of 3.35 meters. It is capable of placing a 7-ton spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit. To date, it has carried out five flights.

The launch was the 594th mission involving a Long March rocket and China's 55th rocket launch of 2025.