The improved Kuaizhou-1A rocket has greatly increased its carrying capacity and successfully launched a radar remote sensing satellite in Xichang..
During on 4th December 2024 at 1246 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time launching from one of many complexes Xichang Satellite Launch center, Sichuan Province –China – People’s Republic of China on中國製造 Expace Technology Corporation, , the Kuaizhou No. 1A solid carrier rocket ignited and lifted off at the At 12:46 Beijing time on December 4, 2024, at the launch pad of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the “Kuaizhou-1A” solid carrier rocket ignited and took off, sending the “Haishao-1” remote sensing satellite into low Earth orbit (LEO).
“Haishao-1” (CAS Satellite 08) is a small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing satellite that can realize on-board imaging and inversion and extraction of ocean dynamic information, and has a wide range of application scenarios.
Kuaizhou-1A is a four-stage small launch vehicle developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) Rocket Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the 9th Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. It adopts a four-stage tandem configuration, with solid rocket engines in the first, second and third stages and a room-temperature liquid engine in the fourth stage. The liquid final stage of the rocket is equipped with a nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4)/monomethylhydrazine (CH6N2) engine, which has the ability to ignite multiple times and can carry out multi-satellite launch missions in different orbits.
The improved launch vehicle “Kuaizhou-1A” was used this time, which adopted technologies such as high payload ratio optimization, de-tasking, landing area control, and online variable parameters, and achieved significant improvements in carrying capacity, satellite available envelope, reliability, and performance. Compared with the previous version, the external diameter of the fairing of the improved “Kuaizhou-1A” rocket has been increased from 1.4 meters to 1.8 meters, and the carrying capacity of the 500-kilometer, 45-degree low-Earth orbit (LEO) has been increased from 390 kilograms to 500 kilograms, the carrying capacity of the 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) has been increased from 260 kilograms to 360 kilograms, and the carrying capacity of the 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) has been increased from 200 kilograms to more than 300 kilograms.
Since its successful maiden flight, the Kuaizhou-1A rocket has carried out a total of 28 launches, 26 of which were successful, with a success rate of 92.86%. It is China’s solid-propellant carrier rocket with the most launches and the most successes. Since the successful launch of the Kuaizhou-1A Yao 23 rocket on June 22, 2022, the rocket has achieved 14 consecutive victories, which is the second longest winning streak of China’s active solid rockets, second only to the 17 consecutive victories of the Long March 11 rocket, which is still ongoing. On the afternoon of September 20, 2024, the Kuaizhou-1A Yao 31 rocket carried out the 27th launch of the arrow, 75 days away from this launch.
This launch is the fourth launch of the Kuaizhou-1A rocket in 2024, the 18th launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the 61st launch in China, and the 231st orbital space launch in the world.
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