China successfully launched a new set of remote-sensing satellites, PIESAT-2, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday. The four satellites were lifted into space aboard a Long March-2C carrier rocket at 11:39 a.m. (Beijing Time) and successfully entered their designated orbits.

These satellites will primarily focus on providing commercial remote-sensing data services, marking a significant step in China's growing space capabilities. This mission also marks the 544th flight of the Long March carrier rocket series.

In a similar achievement in March 2023, China launched PIESAT-1 (also known as Hongtu-1), the world’s first wheel-like formation of four satellites, which enabled the country to obtain high-precision terrain mapping data through advanced multi-baseline interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology. This milestone marked China’s inaugural use of the system in orbit, further enhancing its capabilities in space-based geospatial intelligence.