CERES-1 Soars: China’s First Commercial Rocket Launch of 2025

Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy marked a significant milestone on Monday by launching the CERES-1 rocket, China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025.

At 6:11 p.m. on January 20, the CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on a mission dubbed \"On Your Shoulders.\" It successfully delivered five satellites—including Yunyao-1 37 to 40 and the JTX A-05—into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.

This launch represents the 16th mission of the CERES-1 rocket series, which has now sent 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 payloads enable the acquisition of data on atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. The data has broad applications in meteorological observation and supports satellite internet constellation systems for industries such as mining.

The JTX A-05 satellite carries a hyperspectral camera payload capable of acquiring remote sensing images. This technology can be applied in multiple fields, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.

Meanwhile, Galactic Energy is developing the CERES-2 in Beijing, 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's reusable rocket, the Pallas-1, has completed the development of most key technologies and is expected to have its maiden flight in the first half of this year. This was revealed by the founder and CEO, Liu Baiqi, at Airshow China 2024.

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