China's CERES 1 rocket launches satellites from sea
According to the company, the rocket lifted off at 6:18 pm from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea near Shandong province. The mission placed four satellites into a low-Earth orbit approximately 850 kilometers above the Earth.
The satellites, developed by Beijing's private satellite operator Guodian Gaoke, are part of the Tianqi Network, which now comprises 33 satellites. This network supports data collection for the internet of things and has applications in diverse sectors, including forestry, agriculture, tourism, and environmental protection, Galactic Energy reported.
With this mission, Galactic Energy has achieved 16 orbital launches of the Ceres 1 rocket, outperforming its private competitors. Collectively, these missions have deployed 58 commercial satellites into orbit.
Galactic Energy initiated its first sea-based launch in September 2023, also from Shandong's coast, successfully placing four Tianqi satellites into orbit. This marked the company as the first Chinese private firm to conduct a sea-based rocket launch.
Subsequent missions followed in May and August, deploying four and six satellites, respectively. In total, China has carried out 14 sea-based launches, utilizing four different rocket models: Long March 11, Smart Dragon 3, Ceres 1, and Gravity 1.
The Ceres 1 rocket, a solid-propellant launcher, stands 20 meters tall with a diameter of 1.4 meters. It has a liftoff weight of 33 metric tons and is designed to deliver a 300-kilogram payload to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit or a 350-kilogram payload to a low-Earth orbit at 200 kilometers.
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