The company confirmed the success of the mission within an hour of liftoff. The payload included six remote sensing satellites for various commercial clients. Notably, the mission carried three Yunyao-1 satellites equipped with GNSS occultation (GNSS-RO) and infrared imaging technology, aimed at providing meteorological data for Yunyao Yuhang.
Also on board was Jitian-A03, the inaugural satellite from Suzhou Jitian Xingzhou Space Technology Co., Ltd. This satellite features a hyperspectral remote sensing payload for advanced optical remote sensing technology verification. Hyperspectral sensors, with their ability to capture data across numerous spectral bands, are useful for applications like mineral exploration, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.
The Suxing-1 (01) satellite, developed by Shanghai AIS Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., also launched, carrying an optical payload for the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) Taicang Yangtze River Delta Research Institute.
Another payload was the hyperspectral Tianfu Gaofen-2 satellite, or Huaxiangyuan-1, developed by Hunan Hangsheng Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. This satellite will be operated by Xiamen Tianwei Technology Co., Ltd., focusing on environmental monitoring, resource management, and urban planning.
The mission, dubbed “How Far I’ll Go,” marked the 15th flight of the Ceres-1 rocket and its third successful sea launch. The Ceres-1 had previously experienced one failure in September 2023.
Sea launches from Haiyang provide China with additional spaceport options. Mobile sea platforms have previously been used for Long March 11, Jielong, Gravity-1, and Ceres-1 solid rockets.
In July, reports indicated that Galactic Energy is developing the Ceres-2, an upgraded version of its solid rocket. The company is also preparing for the debut of its Pallas-1 kerosene-liquid oxygen launcher, anticipated to launch by late 2024 or early 2025. The Pallas-1 will eventually feature first-stage reusability and can carry up to 8,000 kg to a 200-kilometer low Earth orbit (LEO). A three-core stage version will be capable of lifting 17,500 kg to LEO.
Galactic Energy is set to compete with companies such as Landspace, Deep Blue Aerospace, and Space Pioneer for satellite launch contracts for China’s megaconstellations.
Thursday’s launch was the 38th Chinese orbital launch attempt of 2024, following the successful deployment of the classified ChinaSat-4A satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit on August 22. China’s state-owned space agency has targeted around 100 launches for 2024, including commercial missions. The new Long March 12 launcher is expected to debut from a commercial pad as early as next month.
