ISTANBUL 

China launched a new Earth observation satellite Wednesday from northwest China, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The Gaofen-12 05 satellite was sent into space at 7.45 am Beijing time (2345GMT Tuesday) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The satellite, carried by a Long March-4C rocket, entered its planned orbit and will be used for land surveys, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimation, and disaster relief, Xinhua reported.

This was the 540th flight mission for the Long March carrier rocket series, highlighting China's progress in space technology and Earth monitoring capabilities.

Beijing launches 18 satellites

Separately on Tuesday, China launched a group of 18 satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China, state-run CGTN reported.

These satellites, part of the "Spacesail Constellation" project, were carried by a modified Long March-6 rocket.

The "Spacesail Constellation," also known as "Thousand Sails Constellation" or "G60," is seen as China's answer to SpaceX's Starlink. It aims to launch over 15,000 low-Earth orbit satellites by 2030, providing global users with high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband internet.

This launch marked the 539th mission for the Long March series.