A Long March-4C carrier rocket carrying China's remote sensing satellite "Yaogan III" blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, early Nov. 12, 2007. The 2,700-kilogram satellite will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

    TAIYUAN, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China launched a new remote sensing satellite "Yaogan III" Monday morning.

    The satellite was launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province at 6:48 a.m. (Beijing Time).

    It entered the preset orbit 21 minutes later.

    The 2,700-kilogram satellite will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief.

    Both the satellite and the carrier rocket are developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space flight Technology affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

    The launch was the 104th mission of China's Long March series of rockets since April 24, 1970, when a Long March-1 rocket successfully sent China's first satellite Dongfanghong-1 into the space.

    On Oct. 24, a Long March 3A carrier rockets successfully sent China's first lunar probe Chang'e-1 into the space.

    The "Yaogan I" satellite was launched also from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on April 27, 2006, and the "Yaogan II" was launched on May 25, 2007 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province.

A Long March-4C carrier rocket carrying China's remote sensing satellite "Yaogan III" blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, early Nov. 12, 2007. The 2,700-kilogram satellite will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief. (Xinhua/Li Gang)