XICHANG, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- China sent twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan Province, at 12:23 p.m. Monday.

The satellites are the 39th and 40th of the BeiDou navigation system, and the 15th and 16th of the BeiDou-3 family.

The launch was the 287th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.