China's new carrier rocket, the Long March-8, made its maiden flight today (Tuesday) sending five satellites into planned orbit.

The Long March-8 series is part of China's endeavours to develop reusable rockets, potentially lowering mission costs and paving the way towards commercial launch services.

The new carrier rocket measures 50.3 metres and has a take-off mass of 356 tonnes, and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said it is of great significance for accelerating the upgrading of launch vehicles.

The five satellites sent by the new rocket will conduct experiments in space science, remote sensing and communication technologies.

Earlier,  an unmanned Chinese spacecraft returned to earth last week with rocks and soil from the moon.