The 113th launch of a Chinese Long March rocket saw the country's new remote sensing satellite, Yaogan IV, en route to orbit. The launch occurred on December 1st from the Kiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province located in northwest China. According to the China Academy of Space Technology, the new satellite's purpose is for scientific research, which will include estimating crop yields, disaster prevention and relief efforts, and land resources surveying. (Photo of the launch is courtesy of Xinhua.)