JIUQUAN, July 2 (Xinhua) - China on Thursday sent a new marine satellite into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

A Long March-4B rocket carrying the Haiyang-2E satellite took off at 7:46 a.m. (Beijing Time), sending the satellite into the planned orbit.

The launch was the 654th by the Long March rocket series.

(Photo: People's Daily/Sun Hai Ying)