Kuaizhou 11, the newest model of carrier rocket developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, carried out its first successful flight on Wednesday morning, lifting an experimental satellite into space, according to the company.

The rocket blasted off at 9:15 am at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert and soon deployed the Xingyun Transport VDES Experimental Satellite, which is tasked with demonstrating very-high-frequency data exchange system technology, into its preset orbit, said CASIC, one of the nation's major space contractors.

A Kuaizhou 11 is 25 meters tall, and has a diameter of 2.2 meters. With a liftoff weight of 78 metric tons, the rocket is able to place a 1-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometer, according to designers.

The model's first flight took place in July 2020 at the Jiuquan center but failed due to technical abnormalities during its flight.

The carrying capacity of Kuaizhou 11 is five times that of its predecessor - Kuaizhou 1A.

The new rocket also features the extensive use of composite materials. More than 90 percent of the rocket is made of composite materials, designers said.

Research and development of Kuaizhou 11 began in 2015 at China Space Sanjiang Group in Hubei province, a CASIC subsidiary specializing in solid-fuel rocket.

Designers planned to make its maiden flight in 2017 but the schedule had been repeatedly postponed due to unexpected technical difficulties, the company explained.

CASIC began to develop the Kuaizhou series in 2009 as a low-cost, quick-response product for the commercial space market. Kuaizhou is the largest solid-propellant rocket family in China, as opposed to the Long March series that mainly relies on liquid fuel.

The State-owned space conglomerate has launched 23 Kuaizhou rockets: three Kuaizhou 1s, 18 Kuaizhou 1As and two Kuaizhou 11s.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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