Posted: Mon, Dec 1, 2008, 1:54 PM ET (1854 GMT)
A Long March rocket placed a Chinese remote sensing satellite into orbit on Monday, Chinese media reported. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:42 pm EST Sunday (0442 GMT, 12:42 pm Beijing time Monday) and placed the Yaogan 4 satellite into orbit. Few details about the spacecraft were released, other than that it will be used for scientific research, resource surveying, and disaster monitoring. There was no advance notice of the launch, and some Western analysts speculate the spacecraft may also be used for military applications.
