In a significant milestone for China's commercial space industry, Beijing-based rocket manufacturer Galactic Energy successfully launched the CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket on Monday, marking the nation's first commercial rocket launch of 2025.
The CERES-1 Y16 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 rocket delivered five satellites—Yunyao-1 37 to 40 and JTX A-05—into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 535 kilometers.
This launch signifies the 16th mission of the CERES-1 rocket series, which has now successfully placed a total of 63 satellites into their designated orbits. Notably, 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.
Equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads, the four Yunyao-1 satellites are poised to collect vital atmospheric data, including temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. These satellites hold promising applications in meteorological observation and the development of satellite internet constellation systems for industries such as mining.
The JTX A-05 satellite, featuring a hyperspectral camera payload, will acquire high-resolution remote sensing images. Its data will support a multitude of sectors, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
Meanwhile, Galactic Energy is advancing the development of the CERES-2 rocket, a solid carrier with a payload capacity of 1.6 tonnes. According to Meng Xianbo, the company's Chief Government Affairs Officer, the CERES-2 is scheduled to conduct four launches in 2025, with its maiden flight planned for June. Additionally, the company's reusable rocket, the Pallas-1, has achieved development milestones in key technologies and is expected to make its inaugural flight in the first half of this year, as shared by founder and CEO Liu Baiqi at Airshow China 2024.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
