Long March rocket blasts off with nine satellites

China launched a Long March 6 carrier rocket to deploy nine small satellites into space on Tuesday morning, said China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a State-owned space contractor.

The rocket blasted off at 11:20 am from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi, carrying nine Earth-observation, communication and technology demonstration satellites into low-Earth orbit, CASC said in a statement.

Tuesday's launch marked the 366th launch of the Long March rocket family and also the fifth flight of the Long March 6, which was designed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary.

The 29.3 meter rocket is capable of placing about 1 metric ton of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit 700 kilometers above the ground. Its main propulsion is a 120 ton thrust engine that burns liquid oxygen and kerosene.

The rocket is scheduled to make four flights in 2021, according to CASC.

China Great Wall Industry, CASC's subsidiary in charge of commercial launch service, was commissioned by the satellites' owners to arrange the launch.