Tanya Weaver Thu 30 May 2024
Collected at : https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/05/30/galactic-energy-successfully-blasts-its-ceres-1-rocket-space-sea-based-launch-platform
Chinese company Galactic Energy has successfully undertaken its second sea-based launch mission for the Ceres-1 carrier rocket.
Yesterday, Ceres-1, a rocket manufactured and operated by Chinese company Galactic Energy, lifted off from a mobile sea platform off the coast of China’s eastern province of Shandong, successfully sending four satellites into a low orbit about 850km above the Earth.
According to Galactic Energy, the satellites were built by Guodian Gaoke, a Beijing-based private satellite operator, for its Tianqi Network and will form part of a planned constellation of Iot data connectivity satellites.
This is the second sea-based launch for Ceres-1. The first took place in September 2023, also off the coast of Shandong. To date, Galactic Energy has carried out 12 orbital launches using the Ceres-1 model, placing tens of satellites into space.
According to Galactic Energy, compared with conventional land-based launches, a sea mission has a lower risk of causing issues in densely populated areas along the rocket’s trajectory.
It also allows launches to be made near the equator, which increases the rocket’s carrying capacity, lowers launch costs and extends the life span of some satellites.
For the sea-based launch, the Ceres-1 four-stage solid commercial carrier rocket was adapted by Beijing Galaxy Power Aerospace Corporation to have strong flexibility, good mission adaptability and excellent launch economy.
An article in space.com states that this latest Ceres-1 launch was China’s 25th orbital mission of 2024. The country is planning around 100 launches across 2024, including about 30 commercial missions.
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