China launches HD observation satellite

China sent its observation satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi province at 2:51 am on Oct 5 (Beijing Time).

The satellite, Gaofen-10, was launched aboard a Long March-4C rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. It was the 314th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

As part of the country's high-definition Earth observation project, the microwave remote sensing satellite is capable of providing photographs with a resolution of less than a meter.

Gaofen-10 will be used in land survey, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimate, as well as disaster relief. It can also serve key national strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

The satellite and the carrier rocket were both developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.