JIUQUAN, Gansu Province -- China launched a new remote sensing satellite "Yaogan II" from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 15:12 Beijing Time on Friday.

The satellite, launched by a "Long March 2D" carrier rocket, will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster forecast, according to the China Academy of Space Technology, the main developer of the satellite.

A tiny satellite weighing around one kilogram which was developed by Zhejiang University, was also carried on the Long March 2D. The so-called pico satellite will be used for research into micro-electronics.

The launch was the 99th of China's Long March series of rockets.

The "Yaogan I" satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province on April 27, 2006.