On November 20, 2014, 2014 at 07:12 UTC the “Long March – 2D” (“Changzheng-2D”) rocket-carrier was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, the northwest of China. The rocket orbited the “Yaogan-24” remote sensing satellite. The satellite will be used for scientific experiments, natural resource surveying, estimating crop yields and disaster relief. Yaogan 24 could carry a sharp-eyed optical camera to supply global reconnaissance imagery to Chinese military authorities, according to Western analysts. This liftoff marked China’s second space launch in less than a week, following the delivery of another secretive Yaogan satellite to orbit Nov. 14. It was the 11th Chinese space launch of 2014.
