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A new four-stage rocket operated by Chinese launch company Galactic Energy succeeded in its maiden flight on Saturday, carrying a microsatellite with data transmission on an orbit 300 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth.
The Ceres 1 rocket took off from Jiuquan launch base in northwest China’s Gobi desert at 0712 GMT (2:12 EST) on Saturday, according to China’s state-owned Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua reported that the rocket, designed for commercial use, has successfully placed a single satellite in orbit. US military tracking data indicates that the rocket placed its payload in an orbit at approximately 300 miles of altitude, with a 97.4 degree tilt relative to the equator.
The launcher was carrying a small satellite called Tianqi 11 designed for data collection and transmission in a fleet of orbiting link stations designed for Internet of Things services. The Tianqi constellation is owned by Guodian Gaoke, a Beijing-based company.
Galactic Energy, also headquartered in Beijing, is one of several Chinese startups looking for a foothold in the launch business.
The Ceres 1 rocket is about 62 feet tall, or 19 meters, and measures 4.6 feet (1.4 meters) in diameter, according to Galactic Energy. Its three lower stages are solid rocket engines likely derived from missile stages developed for the Chinese military, and an upper orbital insertion stage is equipped with a hydrazine-powered propulsion system.
Galactic Energy says the Ceres 1 rocket can carry a payload of over 770 pounds, or 350 kilograms, in low Earth orbit. The four-stage launcher was “independently designed” by Galactic Energy and aims to provide “high-quality, cost-effective and fast launch services for small, low-orbit satellites,” according to the company’s website.
The Ceres 1 rocket is a precursor to a larger launch vehicle called the Pallas 1, which will be powered by kerosene engines on a reusable booster designed for vertical take-offs and vertical landings.
The Pallas 1 rocket, which is expected to debut in 2022, will be powered by seven “Welkin” engines, each generating approximately 88,000 pounds – or 60 metric tons – of thrust at full power. The engine will have variable thrust to allow propulsive landings of the Pallas 1 Booster.
On its website, Galactic Energy calls the reusable Welkin engine the Chinese version of the Merlin engine that powers SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Galactic Energy announced on November 3 that it had secured $ 30 million, or 200 million yuan, in new investments from Chinese venture capital firms. In a statement, the company said the new capital infusion, along with previous funding rounds, will allow the company to mass-produce Ceres 1 rockets starting in 2021 and move forward with development of the Pallas 1 rocket for the its first flight in 2021.
Galactic Energy is the second Chinese startup independently operated by the country’s legacy state space contractors to launch a rocket into Earth’s orbit, following the successful flight of the Hyperbola 1 rocket from iSpace in July 2019.
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