In a significant milestone for China's commercial space industry, Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy successfully launched its CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket on January 20, 2025. The rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:11 p.m., marking the nation's first commercial rocket launch of the year.
Dubbed the \"On Your Shoulders\" mission, the CERES-1 Y16 rocket delivered five satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The payload included the Yunyao-1 37~40 satellites and the JTX A-05 satellite, each equipped with advanced technologies poised to enhance various industries.
The Yunyao-1 satellites are equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads. These instruments enable the acquisition of critical atmospheric data such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. The data collected holds broad applications in meteorological observation and supports demonstration scenarios for satellite internet constellation systems, particularly in the mining industry.
The JTX A-05 satellite features a hyperspectral camera payload capable of capturing high-resolution remote sensing images. This technology is expected to benefit multiple sectors, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
The CERES-1 Y16 rocket is notably the first to be manufactured and assembled at Galactic Energy's new-generation research and development and production base in Ziyang, Sichuan Province. To date, the CERES-1 rocket series has completed 16 launches, successfully sending 63 satellites into their designated orbits.
Looking ahead, Galactic Energy is developing the CERES-2, a solid carrier rocket with a payload capability of 1.6 tonnes. According to Meng Xianbo, the company's Chief Government Affairs Officer, the CERES-2 is expected to conduct four launches in 2025, with its maiden flight targeted for June.
Additionally, the company's reusable rocket, the Pallas-1, has made significant progress. As reported by founder and CEO Liu Baiqi at Airshow China 2024, most of the key technologies for the Pallas-1 have been developed, and its maiden flight is anticipated in the first half of this year.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
