The China National Space Administration said Sunday that China plans to launch the No. 2 earth resources satellite developed by China and Brazil sometime on Oct. 21 or 22.

A spokesperson with the administration said the satellite would be sent into orbit by a Long March IV rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, together with an experimental communications satellite developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The satellite and rocket had been shipped to the launch site, and testing showed they were ready to launch, said the spokesperson.

The two countries launched the first earth resources satellite, which has outlived its planned service lifetime, in 1999 to send back data widely used in China and Brazil.

The two countries are working on the No. 3 and No. 4 resources satellites.

Under the agreement between the two countries, China will launch the No. 3 resources satellite while Brazil will launch the No.4 satellite.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2003)