Two more satellites launched for Pakistan

China launched two satellites on Monday for Pakistan, marking a major step in the two nations' cooperation in the space sector, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

A Long March 2C carrier rocket blasted off at 11:56 am at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, placing the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite 1, its first optical remote sensing satellite, and the PakTES-1A, designed for scientific experiments, into preset orbits, the State-owned space contractor said in a statement.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology based on China's CAST 2000 satellite module, the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite 1 is expected to work in a sun-synchronous orbit for at least seven years.