Beijing-based rocket maker Galactic Energy has ushered in a new era for China's commercial space industry with the successful launch of its CERES-1 Y16 carrier rocket. Blasting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:11 p.m. on January 20, the mission, aptly named \"On Your Shoulders,\" marks the nation's first commercial rocket launch of 2025.
The CERES-1 Y16 rocket soared into the evening sky, delivering five satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The payload included the Yunyao-1 37~40 satellites and the JTX A-05 satellite, each playing a crucial role in enhancing China's satellite capabilities.
Equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation detection payloads, the Yunyao-1 satellites will provide valuable data on atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density. These measurements are essential for improving meteorological observations and could significantly benefit industries such as mining through the development of satellite internet constellation systems.
The JTX A-05 satellite, on the other hand, is outfitted with a hyperspectral camera payload designed to capture high-resolution remote sensing images. This technology has broad applications, including environmental monitoring, industrial emissions detection, gas leakage identification, agricultural surveillance, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
This successful mission brings the total number of satellites launched by the CERES-1 rocket series to 63 across 16 launches. Significantly, the CERES-1 Y16 is the first rocket produced at Galactic Energy's new research and development and production base in Ziyang, Sichuan Province, highlighting the company's expanding capabilities.
Looking to the future, 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 scheduled for June.
In addition, the company's reusable rocket, the Pallas-1, has made significant strides, having completed the development of most key technologies. As reported by CGTN during Airshow China 2024, Galactic Energy's founder and CEO, Liu Baiqi, revealed that the Pallas-1 is expected to embark on its maiden flight in the first half of this year.
(CGTN's Zhao Chenchen and Zhang Haoyudi also contributed to this story.)
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
