China successfully launched the remote-sensing satellite Yaogan XIIII Thursday from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi, according to a press release from the center.

The satellite was carried into space aboard a Long March 4B carrier rocket which blasted off at 3:06 p.m. Beijing time, according to the center.

The satellite will be used to conduct scientific experiments, carry out surveys on land resources, monitor crop yields and help with natural disaster-reduction and prevention.

The Long March 4B carrier rocket was produced by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. Thursday's launch is the 162nd mission of Long-March-series carrier rockets.

Along with Yaogan XIIII, a tiny satellite named Tiantuo I was also sent into orbit during the flight.

The satellite, weighing only 9.3 kg, will be mainly used for data reception for the satellite-based vessel Automatic Identification System, optical imaging and various space exploration experiments in orbit.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2012)