Beijing Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd. is the first domestic aerospace enterprise with mixed ownership, and it is also the target enterprise that Oriental Aerospace Port focuses on introducing. Relying on the scientific research strength and resource advantages of the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Aerospace Flight Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Aerospace Science and Technology has been committed to the research and development and integration of space technology and aerospace vehicles as a platform for the transformation of major national scientific research projects, as well as the transformation and provision of technological achievements. Aerospace launch service. The Lijian-1 rocket project also adds a brand-new name card to the Oriental Space Port, which will surely promote the construction of the Oriental Space Port to take a solid step forward.
At 07:33 Beijing time on September 25, 2024, at the 130 workstation of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Inner Mongolia, China, People’s Republic of China, the “Lijian-1” Yao-4 carrier rocket carrying five remote sensing satellites including the China Science Satellite 01 and 02, Jilin-1 SAR01A, Yunyao-1 21 and 22 was ignited and launched, sending the satellites into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
Airsat 01 and 02 are synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing satellites developed by Airsat and Jigang Group. They are the first launch satellites of the Airsat remote sensing satellite system built by Airsat. The main payload of this type of satellite is Ku-band synthetic aperture radar with a resolution better than 1 meter. It will verify new technologies such as flat-plate synthetic aperture radar satellite, deployable cylindrical reflector synthetic aperture radar antenna, on-orbit imaging and information extraction and processing, and Ku-band re-orbit interferometric synthetic aperture radar. This type of synthetic aperture radar is used for the first time in the world.
Jilin-1 SAR01A is the first microwave remote sensing (radar remote sensing) satellite independently developed by Changguang Satellite. It is a networking satellite of Jilin-1 constellation. The satellite is equipped with X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) jointly developed by Tianjin Yunyao Aerospace and Changguang Satellite, and operates in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 515 kilometers. The successful development of Jilin-1 SAR01A marks a new technological breakthrough in Changguang Satellite in the field of whole satellite design and manufacturing.
Yunyao-1 21 and 22 were developed by Tianjin Yunyao Aerospace. They are networking satellites of the Yunyao meteorological constellation. Their main payload is the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) occultation detection payload. By inverting the GNSS occultation data, the atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure and ionospheric electron density can be obtained.
Kinetica 1 is a four-stage all-solid rocket developed by the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and co-developed by CASspace. It is mainly used for launch missions into low and medium Earth orbits. The rocket is 30 meters high and has a maximum diameter of 2.65 meters. It can be equipped with two specifications of fairings with diameters of 2.65 meters and 3.35 meters. Its takeoff mass is 135 tons and its carrying capacity in a 500-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is 1.5 tons. This rocket is equipped with a fairing with a diameter of 2.65 meters.
Since its successful maiden flight on July 27, 2022, Beijing time, the “Lijian-1” has achieved four consecutive victories, launching a total of 42 satellites into orbit, with a total mass of more than 4 tons. This mission is the first time that the “Lijian-1” has carried out a morning and evening orbit launch. At present, the rocket has achieved a commercial launch mode of batch storage, rapid launch, and rolling backup.
This launch is the second launch of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket in 2024, the 12th launch of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the 45th launch in China and the 177th orbital space launch in the world. The last launch mission of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center was the Hyperbola-1 Yao-8 mission on July 11, 2024, which is 76 days (2.5 months) away from this mission.
As China’s first medium-sized rocket to achieve high-density launches and the record holder for multiple satellite launches in a single launch of Chinese commercial rockets, the Lijian-1 carrier rocket has achieved complete success for three consecutive launches, accurately delivering 37 satellites with a total load of 3.5 tons into the scheduled orbit, with a 100% launch success rate. This type of rocket is suitable for rapid network launch of small and medium-sized satellites in medium and low orbits. It has a carrying capacity of 1.5 tons in a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. It is a medium-sized solid launch vehicle with core competitiveness in China’s commercial launch vehicle launch market and is also the main force in China’s commercial aerospace industry. It is one of the rockets that can effectively meet the needs of the commercial launch market in medium and low orbits. It also has the ability to respond quickly to diversified market demands and is committed to providing customers with highly reliable, low-cost, and high-density flight-based launch services.
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