Article Posted on : - Oct 21, 2014

The Long March-4C carrier rocket carrying the Yaogan-22 remote sensing satellite blasts off. A Xinhua photo

BEIJING (BNS): A Chinese rocket on Monday successfully orbited a satellite which will be used for scientific experiments, natural resource surveying, estimating crop yields and disaster relief, the state media reported.

The Yaogan-22 "remote sensing" satellite was launched by the Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province at 2:31 pm local time (0631 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The satellite will be used for scientific experiments, natural resource surveying, estimating crop yields and disaster relief, it said.

However, according to Spaceflightnow.com, the Yaogan 22 will be used as an intelligence-gathering spacecraft.

Western analysts believe Yaogan satellites conduct global surveillance with high-resolution imaging payloads for Chinese intelligence and military authorities, it said.

The last Yaogan series satellite launch took place in September 2014 when the Long March-4B rocket orbited the Yaogan 21.

China has been orbiting the Yaogan series of satellites since April 2006.