China successfully carried out two separate rocket launches on Tuesday, deploying a total of 12 satellites into orbit.

At 3:48 am, a Smart Dragon 3 rocket lifted off from a sea-based platform near Rizhao in Shandong province, placing 11 multifunction satellites into low-Earth orbit about 600 km above Earth. The launch marked the seventh maritime flight for this solid-fueled rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

Standing 31 meters tall and weighing 140 tons at liftoff, Smart Dragon 3 uses a solid-propellant engine with 71 tons of fuel producing 200 tons of thrust. It can deliver payloads of up to 1.5 tons into a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. To date, China has executed 18 sea-based missions using four rocket families: Long March 11, Smart Dragon 3, Ceres 1,

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