China successfully launches new satellite

China sent a new satellite into space on Thursday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.

The satellite, Tianping-3A 02, was launched at 10:12 a.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-6 carrier rocket and entered its preset orbit successfully.

The satellite will be primarily used for the calibration of ground-based radar equipment and radar cross section (RCS) measurement. It will support imaging experiments for ground-based optical equipment and monitoring tests of the low-orbit space environment, while also providing services for atmospheric space environment measurement and orbital prediction model correction.

The launch marks the 568th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.