Second rocket launch from South China Sea sends three satellites into orbit

China launched a Long March 11 carrier rocket on Tuesday morning off the coast of Yangjiang in Guangdong province, sending three experimental satellites into space, according to State-owned conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The company said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 6:39 am from a launch service ship to transport the Shiyan 24C series satellites into their preset orbits.

It was the eighth sea-based launch of Chinese rockets and the second to be made from the South China Sea.

Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Shiyan 24C satellites are tasked with carrying out space technology tests, the news release said.

The Long March 11 rocket model is built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing and has a length of 20.8 meters, a diameter of 2 meters and a liftoff weight of 58 metric tons. It is capable of sending satellites to low-Earth orbit or sun-synchronous orbit.

Both the academies are subsidiaries of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's major space contractor.