China launches HD observation satellite

China has successfully launched a high definition microwave remote sensing satellite capable of providing photographs with a resolution of less than a metre, official media reported.

The satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi Province in the early hours of Saturday.

The satellite, Gaofen-10, was launched aboard a Long March-4C rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

It was the 314th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

As part of the country's high-definition Earth observation project, the microwave remote sensing satellite is capable of providing photographs with a resolution of less than a metre, the report said.

Gaofen-10 will be used in land survey, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimate, as well as disaster relief. It can also serve key national strategies such as the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) under which China is making huge investments in different countries around the world to build infrastructure projects to further its global influence.

The satellite and the carrier rocket were both developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the report said.