RIYADH

Saudi Arabia on Friday launched two locally-designed satellites into space from China.

The two satellites, Sat 5a and Sat 5b, were developed by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and will be used for aerial surveying purposes, according to the official SPA news agency.

"This achievement comes as a result of KACST efforts over the past years,” KACST chief Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed said.

He said KACST "has been working to build national cadres capable of dealing with these technologies and the establishment of advanced infrastructure."

Bin Saud said the two satellites will be used to provide government agencies with high-resolution images and will be operated from a control station in KACST.