China is lying about its intended uses for its new satellite, Western analysts claim.

On Saturday, December 27, the Chinese government made an unannounced launch of a Long March-4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, in the capital of north China's Shanxi Province. Aboard that rocket was the Yaogan-26, a satellite the Chinese government said will be used for scientific experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster prevention.

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However, Western analysts say this claim is bogus, and believe the Yaogan name is a cover for China's spy satellite program, reports Spaceflight Now. The analysts believe China's spy program includes sets of spacecraft dedicated to optical and radar imaging, maritime surveillance, and other missions.

The launch marked the 202th mission for the Long March rocket family, according China's state news agency Xinhua. China launched the first satellite in the "Yaogan" series, Yaogan-1, in 2006.

The 15-story rocket sent the Yaogan 26 spacecraft into a near-circular orbit a little more than 300 miles above Earth (301 to be exact) at an inclination of 97.4 degrees, according to the U.S. Air Force's Space Surveillance Network.

Analysts say that the orbit, launch vehicle and launch site of the Yaogan 26 suggest the satellite is part of an ongoing series of military surveillance spacecraft fitted with high-resolution optical cameras to look down on Earth, according to Spaceflight Now.  The parameters of Yaogan 26's launch reportedly match satellites sent into orbit from China in December 2008, November 2011 and September 2014.

In October, the Taipei Times reported that China launched spy satellites that a U.S. expert said could threaten Taiwanese warships in the case of a military clash.

"Beijing's looming ability to overwhelm Taiwan's combat ships is a key reason Washington must help Taipei to obtain submarines," veteran military analyst Richard Fisher told the Taipei Times. The remote sensing satellite was also part of the Yaogan series, Yaogan-21, reported Jane's Defence Weekly.

China is planning at least one more launch before the end of the year A Long March 3A rocket is set for liftoff on December 31, with a reported weather satellite onboard.

TagsChina’s spy satellite program, Yaogan, Yaogan-26, Long March-4B, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center