Galactic Energy, a private rocket maker in Beijing, on Thursday, carried out the seventh flight mission of its CERES 1 rocket to deploy seven satellites into orbit.
The CERES 1 Y7 rocket blasted off at 12:03 pm at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert and placed the satellites into their preset orbits, the company said in a news release.
The Y7 in the rocket's designation code means that the rocket was the seventh of its type.
Galactic Energy has achieved seven successive successes in orbital launch, far outperforming other private competitors. These CERES 1 flights have placed a total of 28 satellites into space.
The solid-propellant CERES 1 is about 20 meters tall and has a diameter of 1.4 meters and mainly burns solid propellant. With a liftoff weight of 33 metric tons, it is capable of sending a 300-kilogram satellite or several satellites with a combined weight of 300 kg to a 500-km sun synchronous orbit, or 350-kg payloads to a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 200 km.
The rocket is ideal for clients in search of a small, cost-efficient launch vehicle to deploy mini satellites, its designers said.
The space mission was China's 34th rocket launch this year and the third CERES 1 flight in 2023.