In this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua news agency, Chinese Long March-4B carrierrocket with satellite 02B blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province on Wednesday September 19,2007. China launched the third earth resources satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil to take high-definition photographs of the earth's surface on Wednesday morning.

OSource: CCTV.com | 11-24-2008 08:31

China and Brazil have held a meeting in Beijing to mark the 20th anniversary of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite Program.

The two countries have launched three earth-monitoring satellites since 1988, when the joint program began. They plan to send two more satellites into orbit in 2010 and 2013. And they have agreed to research on two more.

The satellites have played a significant role in various fields, including surveying land resources and monitoring the environment.