China’s CERES-1 Y2 commercial rocket launches 5 satellites
China on Tuesday launched its CERES-1 Y2 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The rocket blasted off at 12:12 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the launch site, sending five small satellites into the planned orbit.
Developed by Beijing-based high-tech company Galactic Energy, CERES-1 is a small-scale carrier rocket capable of sending micro-satellites into orbit.
It has a total length of 20 meters, with a takeoff mass of 33 tonnes. It can carry a payload of 300 kg to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 km.
The five commercial satellites onboard the CERES-1 Y2 rocket will be used for infrared observation, scientific experiments and remote sensing, according to Galactic Energy.
It was the second flight mission of the CERES-1 rocket series.