In a significant leap for China's commercial space industry, Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy successfully launched its CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket on January 20, marking China'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 named \"On Your Shoulders.\" It delivered five satellites—Yunyao-1 37~40 and JTX A-05—into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
This launch signifies a milestone for Galactic Energy, as 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. To date, the CERES-1 rocket series has completed 16 launches, sending a total of 63 satellites into their designated orbits.
The four Yunyao-1 satellites are equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads. These advanced instruments enable the collection of critical atmospheric data, including temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. The satellites have broad applications in meteorological observation and hold promise for satellite internet constellation systems in the mining industry, among other sectors.
The JTX A-05 satellite, on the other hand, is equipped with a hyperspectral camera payload designed to capture high-resolution remote sensing images. This technology has diverse applications, ranging from environmental monitoring and industrial emissions detection to gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
Looking ahead, Galactic Energy 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 targeted for June.
The company is also making strides in reusable rocket technology. Its 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. This was confirmed by the founder and CEO, Liu Baiqi, during an interview at Airshow China 2024.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
