Ammon News - China on Thursday sent a new meteorological satellite into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.

The launch center said that the satellite, Fengyun-4B (FY-4B), was launched by a Long March-3B rocket 12:17am (Beijing Time), adding this was the 372nd flight mission of the Long March rocket series.

"The first of China's new-generation meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit, the FY-4B, will be used in the fields of weather analysis and forecasting, and environmental and disaster monitoring," the center further said.

The satellite and rocket were respectively developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.