China has launched a new meteorological satellite into geo-stationary orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province. 

A Long March-3B rocket carrying the Fengyun-4 satellite blasts off from the launching pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 11, 2016. China launched the weather satellite at 12:11 a.m. Sunday, marking an upgrade of China's meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit. The Fengyun-4 satellite, the first of China's second-generation weather satellites in geostationary orbit to have been launched, is also the country's first quantitative remote-sensing satellite in high orbit. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

The Fengyun-4 is the first of China’s second-generation weather satellites. It is also the country’s first quantitative remote-sensing satellite in high orbit.

The satellite will monitor the atmosphere, clouds and space environment in and around China, significantly improving the accuracy of the country’s weather and climate forecasts.

Beijing has successfully launched 14 weather satellites, seven of them still orbiting the earth.