A satellite for monitoring natural disasters was successfully launched into orbit at China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre announced.
The Kuaizhou II or speedy vessel II satellite will be used to monitor natural disasters and provide disaster relief information, Xinhua reported.
The satellite was carried by a small launch vehicle bearing the same name as the Kuaizhou. China launched its first Kuaizhou satellite last September.
China also launched the Yaogan Weixing-24, a remote-sensing satellite to carry out disaster relief monitoring, scientific experiments and assess and estimate crop yields.
The number of military-controlled space activities in China has grown recently. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation announced that the country plans to launch about 120 applied satellites.
In early November, China’s maiden lunar orbiter successfully flew around the far side of the moon and safely landed back on Earth.
The country aims to operate its own permanent space station by 2020, according to the China National Space Administration.
Source Sputnik News
