China successfully sent a new data relay satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday.

People's Daily Online said that the Tianlian II-04 satellite was launched at 23:55 pm (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit.

Tianlian II-04 is China's second-generation geosynchronous orbit data-relay satellite.

It will provide data relay and TT&C (telemetry, tracking and command) services for manned spacecraft such as spaceships and space stations, for medium and low-Earth-orbit resource satellites, and TT&C support for spacecraft launches.