China launches new land-observation satellite

JIUQUAN -- China on Sunday morning launched a Long March-4C rocket to place a new land-observation satellite in space.

The rocket blasted off at 7:44 am (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and soon sent the L-SAR 01B satellite into its preset orbit.

The satellite will be used to monitor Earth's geological environment, landslides and earthquakes.

The mission marked the 408th flight of the Long March carrier rockets, according to the launch center.