China launched a weather satellite and marine research craft Wednesday atop a Long March 4B rocket. Liftoff occurred at 0150 GMT (9:50 p.m. EDT Tuesday) from the Taiyuan launch site in northern China.

The Feng Yun 1D meteorological satellite and Haiyang-1 marine surveying satellite were delivered into Sun-synchronous orbit around Earth's polar regions.

Chinese news reports said the satellites would monitor river flooding and the sandstorms that regularly engulf northern China.

The FY-1D is reportedly the first of five such weather satellites that China intends to launch in advance of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Haiyang-1 is the first marine surveying satellite independently developed by China, reports said.