Rocket launch carries satellites into orbit

A Long March 2D carrier rocket launched three satellites into space early on Thursday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, China's main space contractor.

It lifted off at 4:02 am from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province and placed three Yaogan-36 satellites into preset orbits to carry out remote sensing operations, the State-owned company said in a news release.

Remote sensing refers to the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring reflected and emitted radiation at a distance, typically from an aircraft or satellite.

The Long March 2D, designed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is a liquid propellant rocket with a liftoff thrust of 300 metric tons. It is capable of taking a 1.3-ton spacecraft into a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

Thursday's mission was the 31st rocket launched in China this year, and the 480th mission by a member of the Long March rocket family.