The Yaogan 26 Long March 4B mission. Photo: Xinhua

[Via Satellite 12-29-2014] China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reports the Yaogan 26 remote sensing satellite entered space after launching aboard a Long March 4B rocket on Dec. 26. The launch, which was the 202nd for the Long March rocket family, occurred from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province.

According to Xinhua, the satellite’s primary functions are land surveys, agriculture, scientific experiments and disaster prevention.  China launched Yaogan 1, the first Yaogan satellite, in 2006.