China has successfully launched two environmental monitoring satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province on Sunday.

A Long March-4B rocket carrying the HJ-2A and HJ-2B satellites took off at 11:23 a.m. (Beijing Time), according to the launch center.

They will replace the HJ-1A and HJ-1B, the previous generation of environmental monitoring satellites, to provide services concerning environmental protection, natural resources, water conservancy, agriculture and forestry.

They will support the monitoring of natural disasters and land utilization, regulation and protection of water resources, dynamic monitoring of crop areas and assessment of yield, as well as quake emergency rescue.

Sunday's launch was the 348th by the Long March rocket series.