2 satellites launched into orbit from Gansu

China sent two satellites into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province at 4:53pm yesterday.

The satellites, which were carried by a Long March-2D carrier rocket, were successfully placed in orbit.

As an optical remote sensing satellite, Gaofen-9 is capable of providing photographs with a resolution of about one meter.

It will be used in land surveys, urban planning, road network design and crop yield estimates, as well as disaster relief. It can also serve projects along the Belt and Road.

The other satellite, HEAD-4, was developed by Beijing-based HEAD Aerospace Technology Co Ltd. It can carry out on-orbit information collection, including that on ships and aircraft, and the Internet of Things.

It was the 333rd flight of the Long March carrier rocket series

On Saturday, China sent two other satellites into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

The two new technology experiment satellites, launched by a Long March-11 carrier rocket at 4:13am, will be mainly used for the new Earth-observation technology experiment.

The Long March-11, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, is the only rocket that uses solid propellants among China’s Long March rocket series. It is mainly used to carry small satellites and can take multiple satellites into orbit at the same time.

Peng Kunya, a chief designer of the Long March-11, said that it was the first time that the Long March-11 was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, proving its adaptability to different launch sites.