China launches remote sensing satellites

China launched a pair of 0.5-metre high-resolution remote sensing satellites Tuesday.

The satellites, SuperView-1 03/04, blasted off at 11.24 a.m., on the back of a Long March 2D rocket,  from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province, reports Xinhua news agency.

The satellites, which are able to provide commercial images at 0.5-metre resolution, are expected to offer remote sensing data to customers worldwide and provide services to land and resource surveys, mapping, environmental monitoring, finance and insurance as well as the internet industry, according to authorities.

The satellites were developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

It is the second launch of the corporation's commercial remote sensing satellites, followed by the launch of SuperView-1 01/02 in December 2016.