China launched two satellites for monitoring ecological environment and natural disasters at around 11:25 AM in Taiyuan on Saturday.

The two satellites, launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province and carried by a Long March 2C rocket, were expected to enhance the country's capacity to forecast natural disasters, according to Bai Zhaoguang, a leading scientist and designer of the satellites.

Under the name "Environment 1", the two satellites were the first of its kind for ecological monitoring put into space by China.

With a lifespan of more than three years, The two satellites were equipped with the most advanced image-forming system and infrared cameras. It finishes a global scanning every two days.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2008)