The Ceres-1 launch vehicle, developed by China's private space company Galactic Energy, was successfully launched at 15:12 on November 7 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending a data acquisition satellite into a predetermined orbit.
According to CCTV, this was the first flight of this type of rocket and the fourth launch of a private commercial space launch vehicle by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Ceres is the goddess of agriculture and harvest in Roman mythology. Ceres-1 is the main carrier rocket type for narrow-band Internet of things network construction and constellation supplement launch.
The launch vehicle is a small solid commercial launch vehicle that can meet the needs of launching micro and small satellites in near-Earth orbit.
It has a maximum diameter of 1.4 meters, an overall length of about 19 meters, a takeoff mass of about 30 tons, and a carrying capacity of about 230 kilograms in 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
The data acquisition satellite launched this time will provide commercial data acquisition and transmission services in orbit.
Galactic Energy is a private aerospace company headquartered in Beijing and engages in the low-cost commercial space launch business.
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