According to the Xinhua news agency, the satellite was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 10:43 a.m. local time (02:43 GMT). The satellite was carried by a Long March-2D rocket.

The device will be used for experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief, according to the media outlet.

In 2006, China launched its first Yaogan satellite.

related report
China's Retrievable Microgravity Research Satellite Returns to Earth
China's first retrievable scientific satellite for microgravity research landed nearly two weeks after its launch, the Xinhua news service reported

The Shijian-10, or SJ-10, was launched atop a Long March 2-D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert on April 6.

The SJ-10's re-entry capsule touched down at 4:30 p.m. local time (08:30 GMT) at a planned landing area in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the Xinhua news service cited retrievers as saying.

The bullet-shaped satellite was tasked with carrying out 19 experiments in orbit during its 12-day journey, including in areas of fluid physics, microgravity combustion, space material, space radiation effects, and space bio-technology.

The SJ-10 satellite program is a collaboration between 11 of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' departments and six universities, with participation by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. A total of four SJ-10 launches are planned by the end of 2016.

Source: Sputnik News