China launched a Long March-7A rocket to place two satellites in space on Thursday.

The rocket blasted off at 6:12 p.m. from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province and soon sent Shiyan-12 01 and Shiyan-12 02 satellites into preset orbit.

The exact purpose of the satellite duo was not revealed by the space program.

The mission marked the 402nd flight of the Long March carrier rockets, which is also the last mission for the Wenchang site this year.

The Long March-7A is an updated model of the Long March-7 with an additional third stage. It is designed to be the main medium-size high-orbit launch vehicle for the country in the future.

In November, the country's space program launched the satellites' predecessor, the Shiyan-11, atop a Kuaizhou-1A commercial rocket.

(With input from Xinhua)