Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy has made history with the successful launch of its CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket, 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 January 20, embarking on a mission aptly named \"On Your Shoulders.\"
The CERES-1 Y16 rocket delivered five satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, including the Yunyao-1 37~40 satellites and the JTX A-05 satellite. This launch brings the total number of satellites sent into orbit by the CERES-1 series to 63 across 16 successful missions. Notably, the CERES-1 Y16 is the first rocket manufactured and assembled at Galactic Energy's new-generation research and development base in Ziyang, Sichuan Province.
The four Yunyao-1 satellites are equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads, enabling the acquisition of critical atmospheric data such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. These capabilities have broad applications in meteorological observation and hold significant potential for the mining industry through the verification of demonstration scenarios for satellite internet constellation systems.
The JTX A-05 satellite, equipped with a hyperspectral camera payload, will acquire remote sensing images applicable 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 rocket development projects. In Beijing, 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 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, according to Galactic Energy's founder and CEO, Liu Baiqi, speaking at Airshow China 2024.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
