In a landmark achievement for the Chinese mainland’s commercial space industry, Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy successfully launched its CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket on Monday, marking the nation’s first commercial rocket launch of 2025.
The CERES-1 Y16 lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:11 p.m. on January 20. Dubbed the “On Your Shoulders” mission, the rocket carried five satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, including the Yunyao-1 37~40 satellites and the JTX A-05 satellite.
This launch signifies a significant milestone for Galactic Energy, as the CERES-1 series has now completed 16 successful missions, delivering a total of 63 satellites into their designated orbits. Notably, the CERES-1 Y16 is the first rocket manufactured and assembled at the company’s new-generation research and development and production base in Ziyang, Sichuan Province.
The four Yunyao-1 satellites are equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads. These advanced instruments enable the satellites to acquire critical data on atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. The information gathered has broad applications in meteorological observation and holds promise for verifying demonstration scenarios for satellite internet constellation systems in industries such as mining.
The JTX A-05 satellite is equipped with a hyperspectral camera payload designed to capture high-resolution remote sensing images. This technology can be applied across multiple fields, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
Meanwhile, Galactic Energy is advancing its development of the CERES-2, a solid carrier rocket with a payload capacity 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.
The company is also making strides with its reusable rocket, the Pallas-1. Founder and CEO Liu Baiqi indicated that the Pallas-1 has completed the development of most key technologies and is anticipated to have its maiden flight in the first half of this year.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
