Kathmandu. China on Sunday successfully launched its new satellite Yaogan-50-02 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China’s Shaanxi Province.

The satellite was launched on a modified Long March-VI vehicle at 9:22 p.m. local time. According to China’s Department of Space, the satellite entered its designated orbit after the launch and the entire mission was completely successful.

The main purpose of the Yaogan-50-02 satellite is to provide ground survey, crop production estimation and assistance in natural disaster prevention and relief operations. It is expected to make significant contributions in the fields of agriculture, environmental management, real estate monitoring and disaster management in China.

The launch was the 633rd flight of the Long March carrier rocket series. The Long March rocket series is considered one of the main pillars of China’s space program and has played a key role in satellite launches and various projects in space exploration.

China has been making rapid progress in its space program in recent years. With this launch, China aims to strengthen its satellite capacity and provide high-level data in the global geosurvey, agriculture and emergency management fields.

The modified Long March-6 rocket used during the launch put the satellite safely into orbit and will regularly collect information to help China’s policy and research in the future.

The launch appears to further expand the scope and capabilities of China’s space programme, as well as a major step towards boosting self-reliance in the country’s strategic and scientific satellite systems, analysts said.