China has successfully launched the Yaogan III remote sensing satellite aboard a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi Province at 6:48 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Monday. The 2,700-kilogram satellite entered the preset orbit 21 minutes later. The launch was the 104th mission of China's Long March series of rockets since April 24, 1970. The satellite and the carrier rocket are developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space flight Technology affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The Yaogan III satellite will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief.