Posted: Sun, Mar 20, 2022, 1:22 PM ET (1722 GMT)
China launched the second in a series of reconnaissance satellites Thursday. A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 3:09 am EDT (0709 GMT) carrying the second Yaogan-34 satellite. Chinese state media reported that the new satellite will provide civilian services like urban planning and crop yield estimation, but Western analysts believe the Yaogan series is military in nature, providing a range of reconnaissance capabilities. The first Yaogan-34 satellite launched last April and operates in a 63-degree orbit at an altitude of more than 1,000 kilometers.

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•  SpaceNews article
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