TAIYUAN -- China on Tuesday launched a Long March-6 rocket carrying three satellites into space.

The rocket blasted off at 7:50 am (Beijing Time) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi and sent the Shiyan 16A, Shiyan 16B and Shiyan 17 satellites into the preset orbit.

Shiyan means "experiment" in Chinese. The Shiyan satellite trio will provide data for land survey, urban planning, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

It was the 440th flight mission of the Long March series rockets, according to the launch center.