CERES-1 Soars: China's First Commercial Rocket Launch of 2025
In a monumental step for China's burgeoning private space industry, Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy successfully launched the CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket on January 20, marking the nation's first commercial rocket launch of 2025. The rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:11 p.m. on a mission aptly dubbed \"On Your Shoulders.\"
The CERES-1 Y16 carried a payload of five satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, including the Yunyao-1 37 to 40 satellites and the JTX A-05 satellite. This launch brings the total number of satellites deployed by the CERES-1 rocket series to 63 across 16 successful missions.
Significantly, the CERES-1 Y16 is the first rocket to be manufactured and assembled at Galactic Energy's new-generation research and development and production base in Ziyang, Sichuan Province. This milestone underscores the company's rapid expansion and technological advancement within China's competitive aerospace sector.
The four Yunyao-1 satellites are equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads. These instruments enable the acquisition of vital atmospheric data, including temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. The satellites have promising applications in meteorological observation and in validating satellite internet constellation systems for industries such as mining.
The JTX A-05 satellite, also part of the payload, is equipped with a hyperspectral camera capable of capturing high-resolution remote sensing images. Its data will support a variety of sectors, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
While celebrating this success, Galactic Energy is also looking ahead. The company is developing 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 scheduled for June.
Additionally, the company's reusable rocket, the Pallas-1, has completed the development of most key technologies and is slated for its maiden flight in the first half of this year. This information was shared by founder and CEO Liu Baiqi at Airshow China 2024, highlighting the company's commitment to innovation in reusable launch vehicles.
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CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
