Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy launched the CERES-1 Y16 rocket on Monday, marking China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025. The successful mission highlights China's growing presence in the commercial space industry.
The CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:11 p.m. on January 20. Dubbed \"On Your Shoulders,\" the mission delivered five satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, including the Yunyao-1 37~40 and the JTX A-05 satellites.
This launch represents the 16th successful mission for the CERES-1 rocket series, which has now sent a total of 63 satellites into orbit. Notably, the CERES-1 Y16 is the first rocket manufactured and assembled at Galactic Energy's new 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 instruments enable the acquisition of atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density data, contributing to meteorological observation and potential applications in satellite internet constellation systems for industries such as mining.
The JTX A-05 satellite carries a hyperspectral camera payload designed to capture remote sensing images. This technology can be applied across various fields, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
Meanwhile, Galactic Energy is progressing on the development of the CERES-2, a solid carrier rocket with a payload capacity of 1.6 tonnes. According to the company's founder and CEO, Liu Baiqi, 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 completed the development of most key technologies and is anticipated to have its maiden flight in the first half of this year, as revealed during Airshow China 2024.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
