The CERES-1 Y8 carrier rocket carrying a new satellite blasts off from the waters near the city of Rizhao, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 21, 2026. China launched a rocket from the ocean waters near the city of Rizhao in east China's Shandong Province on Wednesday, placing a new satellite into planned orbit. The CERES-1 Y8 carrier rocket blasted off at 11:39 a.m. (Beijing Time). The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carried out this offshore launch. (Photo by Wang Yan/Xinhua)

China launched a rocket from the ocean waters near the city of Rizhao in east China's Shandong Province on Wednesday, placing a new satellite into designated orbit.

The CERES-1 Y8 carrier rocket blasted off at 11:39 a.m. (Beijing Time).

The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carried out this offshore launch.

This new satellite will be mainly used for commercial remote sensing, providing services to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, south China, and the low-latitude regions along the Maritime Silk Road, according to the Science and Technology Daily.

The launch marked the seventh sea-based mission of the CERES-1 sea-launched carrier rocket series.

As of now, the rocket's developer Galactic Energy has successfully conducted 23 orbital launches and placed a total of 90 commercial satellites into their designated orbits, the report noted.