Galactic Energy launches five satellites into orbit

Galactic Energy, a private rocket maker based in Beijing, successfully launched a mission Monday afternoon, deploying five satellites into orbit.

The company said in a news release that the Ceres-1 rocket lifted off at 6:11 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The rocket carried five remote-sensing satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 535 kilometers above Earth.

Remote-sensing satellites are designed to detect and monitor physical characteristics of objects on land or sea by measuring reflected and emitted radiation. The five satellites will gather atmospheric data, including temperature, humidity, and pressure, and capture hyperspectral images of designated areas on Earth.

The solid-propellant Ceres-1 rocket is about 20 meters tall, with a diameter of 1.4 meters. It primarily burns solid propellant and has a liftoff weight of 33 metric tons. The rocket can deliver a single 300-kilogram satellite or multiple satellites with a combined weight of 300 kilograms into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. It is also capable of carrying a 350-kilogram payload to a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 200 kilometers.

Monday's launch marks the 16th flight of the Ceres-1 rocket, which has now placed 63 commercial satellites into space.

The rocket used in this mission was built at Galactic Energy's solid-propellant rocket research and production facility in Ziyang, Sichuan province. It is the first private carrier rocket manufactured in Sichuan, according to the company.