China launched two new satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in its southwest Sichuan Province on Friday.

A Long March-2D rocket, carrying the test satellites Shiyan-30 03 and 04, blasted off at 6:33 a.m., and has sent the satellites into preset orbit.

Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), the satellites will be mainly used for experimental verification of Earth observation technologies.

The Long March-2D rocket, also developed by the SAST, is a two-stage carrier rocket fueled by liquid propellant.

It is capable of deploying single or multiple satellites into different orbits, and has the capacity to send a payload of 1.3 tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The launch marks the 632nd flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.