Beijing/Islamabad: China on Monday successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for its "all-weather" ally Pakistan.

The satellites will also help the two countries monitor progress as they build the strategic $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The launch marks yet another space cooperation between China and Pakistan since the launch of the PAKSAT-1R, a communication satellite, in August 2011.

The satellites - PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A - were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 11.56am using a Long March-2C rocket, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The PRSS-1 is China's first optical remote sensing satellite sold to Pakistan.

It is the 17th satellite developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) for an overseas buyer, it said.

A scientific experiment satellite, PakTES-1A, developed by engineers of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission , was sent into orbit using the same rocket.

After entering orbit, the PRSS-1 is in good condition after its solar panels unfolded smoothly, according to the CAST.

The PRSS-1 will be used for land and resources surveying, monitoring of natural disasters, agriculture research, urban construction and providing remote sensing information for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of the Chinese government.

The satellites will play a positive role in the development of Pakistan's economy and improve the lives of people.

Alongside, it will also provide space remote sensing information services for the CPEC, which is flagship project of the BRI.

The $50 billion CPEC is a network of infrastructure projects that are currently under construction throughout Pakistan that will connect China's Xinjiang province with the Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province, giving China an opening to the Arabian Sea. PTI