At 14:22 on June 26, 2015, China successfully put a high-definition earth observation satellite Gaofen-8 (GF-8) into orbit from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellite successfully entered its preset orbit.

The GF-8 is the optical remote sensing satellite of the high-resolution Earth observation system arranged in the national science and technology major special program. It is mainly used in land surveying, urban planning, land delimitation, highway and railway network design, crop yield estimate, disaster prevention and reduction and other fields. It could provide information for “The Belt and Road Initiative” and other strategies’ implementation.

The satellite and the LM-4B launch vehicle used for the launch were developed by CASC’s Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and China Academy of Space Technology respectively. This is the 205th flight of the Long March launch vehicle family.

The GF-8 is the satellite developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation itself and launched this year. This is also the first space launch of Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and the LM-4 launch vehicle this year.