On December 10, 2014, at 19:33 UTC the “Long March – 4C” (“Changzheng-4C”) rocket-carrier was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, the northwest of China. The rocket orbited the “Yaogan-25” remote sensing satellites. The Yaogan Weixing-25 mission is composed of three satellites, with Chinese media referring to the new satellite as “a new remote sensing bird that will be used for scientific experiments, land survey, crop yield assessment, and disaster monitoring.” The designation of the Yaogan Weixing series is used to hide the true military nature of the satellites. Designed for locating and tracking foreign warships the satellites will collect the optical and radio electronic signatures of the maritime vessels that will be used in conjunction with other information valuable for the Chinese maritime forces. ... Read more »