China launches ocean-salinity detection satellite

China sent a new satellite for ocean-salinity detection into space on Thursday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The satellite was launched at 6:42am (Beijing Time) using a Long March-4B Y53 carrier rocket, and has successfully entered its preset orbit.

The satellite will fill the gap of China's high-precision global ocean-salinity detection capabilities, improve data collection on ocean dynamics and environmental factors, and boost the accuracy of China's marine forecasting products, said the CNSA.

It will also support marine environmental forecasting, ecological forecasting, water-cycle monitoring, short-term climate prediction, and global climate change research, providing critical data for applications in agriculture, disaster mitigation, meteorology and other related industries, according to the CNSA.

It was the 545th flight mission of the Long March series rockets.