China launched a Long March 2D carrier rocket on Thursday morning to deploy two satellites into their preset orbit, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's leading space contractor.

The State-owned conglomerate said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 6:51 am from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi province and soon placed the satellites, Siwei Gaojing 2E and 2F, into space.

Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary, the satellites are equipped with high-resolution radars and will be used to obtain data for natural resources management, public security, emergency response, marine inspection and other public service operations, according to the company.

After in-orbit tests, the satellites will be delivered to China Siwei Surveying and Mapping Technology, a satellite operator owned by CASC.

The Long March 2D model, also a product from the Shanghai academy, stands 40.6 meters tall and has a diameter of 3.35 meters and a liftoff weight of 251 metric tons. Its typical tasks are to transport satellites to low-Earth or sun-synchronous orbits.

The launch marked the 18th space mission in China this year and the 634th flight of the Long March rocket fleet.