China has launched its first Gaofen-1 high-resolution remote sensing satellite into orbit, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

The satellite was carried by a Long March 2D (Chang Zheng 2D) carrier rocket that blasted off from northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the state news agency reported, citing China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. The same rocket also deployed three satellites from Ecuador, Argentina and Turkey as well as two satellite splitters from the Netherlands.

Gaofen-1 is the first of up to six satellites China is to launch for the high-definition earth observation system (HDEOS) before 2016, according to the report.

Chinese officials have said that they plan to use the satellite's high-resolution tools for cartography, ocean surveys and urban transportation management.

Source: Xinhua News Agency