Smart Dragon 3 launches 14 satellites amid debut flight

The Smart Dragon 3, a new solid-propellant carrier rocket, made its maiden flight on Friday afternoon, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the country's leading space contractor.

The rocket blasted off at 2:35 pm from a ship in the Yellow Sea and launched 14 satellites into orbit during its flight, the State-owned conglomerate said in a news release.

Designed and built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's major rocket maker and a CASC subsidiary, the Smart Dragon 3 is 31 meters tall, has a diameter of 2.65 meters and a liftoff weight of 140 metric tons.

The rocket is mainly propelled by a high-performance, solid-propellant engine made by the Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, another CASC subsidiary.

The engine holds 71 tons of propellant that create a thrust of 200 tons.