A satellite for natural disaster monitoring was successfully launched into orbit at 12:37 p.m. Wednesday, China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has announced.

The satellite Kuaizhou I, or speedy vessel I, will be used to monitor natural disasters and provide disaster-relief information for its user, the National Remote Sensing Center of China, a public institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The satellite was carried by a small launch vehicle bearing the same name as the vessel Kuaizhou.

China to launch satellite in search of dark matter
China's top scientific research institute is in the process of developing five space research satellites, including one for the detection of dark matter particles.

"We expect to launch at least three to four of them before 2015," said Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the first meeting of the academy's newly founded advisory committee in Beijing Tuesday.

The other four satellites include one for the conduct of quantum science experiments, an X ray telescope, a retrievable scientific study satellite and a solar activity study satellite, Bai said.