JIUQUAN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday launched its CERES-1 Y3 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The rocket blasted off at 12:11 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the launch site, sending three satellites into the planned orbit.

Two satellites will provide commercial remote sensing services and the third one will be used to verify the multi-mode remote sensing technology of the polarization camera.

Developed by the Beijing-based high-tech company Galactic Energy, the 20-meter long CERES-1 is a small-scale solid-propellant carrier rocket capable of sending micro-satellites into orbit.

The launch was the third flight mission of the CERES-1 rocket series.