China launches Tianping 3 satellite

China launched a Long March 6 carrier rocket on Tuesday morning to deploy three multifunctional satellites into space, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the nation's leading space contractor.

The company said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 8:10 am from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, and soon placed three Tianping 3-series satellites into their preset orbit.

The satellites are tasked with a host of missions including calibrating ground-based radars, making radar cross-section measurement and supporting experiments by land-based optical equipment and low-orbit spatial environmental surveyors, according to the release.

The 29.3-meter Long March 6 rocket model, developed and built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is capable of placing multiple satellites into various types of orbits.

The mission marked the 13th launch of the Long March 6 model and China's 50th space launch this year. It was also the 541st flight of the Long March rocket family, the nation's main launch vehicle fleet.