Posted: Wed, Mar 22, 2023, 9:21 PM ET (0121 GMT)
China launched a classified optical imaging satellite to geostationary orbit March 17. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 4:33 am EDT (0833 GMT) carrying the Gaofen-13 (02) satellite, which was deployed into a geostationary transfer orbit. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. provided no details of the satellite's capabilities, stating only that the optical remote sensing satellite is a high-orbit, high-resolution Earth observation technology satellite. That payload was disclosed only after the launch after earlier speculation that the rocket would carry a navigation or communications satellite.

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