China launches two new Earth-observation satellites

China placed two Earth-observation satellites in space on Friday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The State-owned space giant said the Tianhui 6A and 6B satellites were transported to orbit by a Long March 4C rocket that blasted off at 6:41 am from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province.

Made by the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing, the two spacecraft are tasked to conduct geological survey, land resources investigation and scientific experiments, it said in a news release.

The Long March 4C rocket model is built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

With a liftoff weight of 250 metric tons, a Long March 4C is mainly used to send satellites to sun-synchronous orbit. It is capable of transporting satellites with a combined weight of 3 metric tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit 700 kilometers above the earth.

The launch marks the 465th mission of the Long March family and China's eighth rocket liftoff in 2023.