China launched a newly developed satellite into orbit to monitor maritime environment, local media reported in the wee hours of Thursday.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

The satellite, codenamed HY-1D, was developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), according to the Global Times.

"The network will be mainly used to obtain dynamic ocean environment data, such as sea surface temperatures, and monitor environmental changes in China's coastal waters and coastal zones in key global regions as well as marine vessel information," the daily said.

HY-1D, launched by the Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi Province, will also provide maritime right protection, law enforcement as well as scientific research.

"The launch mission also marked the 334th flight of the Long March rocket family," it added.