星河动力空间科技有限公司 Galactic Energy- Galaxy Power (Beijing) Space Technology Co., Ltd.Located in Block D, Aviation Technology Plaza, E-Town, and Beijing – Beijing – China – People’s Republic of China ….Galaxy Aerospace is the first private aerospace company in China to achieve successful continuous launches, the first to send commercial networked satellites into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit, and the first to master the ability to launch multiple satellites with one carrier rocket
At 18:18 Beijing time on December 19, 2024, Galaxy Power Aerospace successfully launched the Apocalypse Constellation 04 Group (33-36 satellites) from the offshore launch platform near Rizhao using the Ceres-1 Haiyao-4 carrier rocket. This launch is the 249th space launch in the world in 2024, the 66th in China, the 7th this month, the 5th for Galaxy Power Aerospace, and the 5th for the Ceres-1 carrier rocket
Five, four, three, two, one, ignition!” On the evening of December 19, in the waters near Rizhao City, as the shore broadcast issued the launch command, the “Ceres-1” carrier rocket standing on the Haiyang “Oriental Spaceport” launch ship ignited its engine, huge clouds of smoke rose around it, and it slowly lifted off with the “Apocalypse Constellation” (stars 33-36). The tail flames from the rocket engine instantly illuminated the night, a huge roar resounded through the sky, and cheers from tens of thousands of spectators on the shore rose one after another. This is the second sea launch mission implemented in the waters near Rizhao after May 29.
At 18:18 on December 19, 2024, the Galaxy Power Aerospace Ceres-1 Sea-launched (Yao-4) (mission code: LOONG) successfully launched the “Apocalypse Constellation” 04 satellites (33 to 36 satellites) in the sea near Rizhao, Shandong Province. A total of 4 satellites entered the low-Earth orbit with an altitude of 850km and an inclination of 45°. The big red screen and mission badge “Apocalypse Constellation” is China’s first low-orbit Internet of Things communication constellation. The first phase consists of 38 satellites. 33 have been launched so far. It has the characteristics of global coverage, miniaturization, low power consumption and low cost. It provides global users with “air, space, land and sea” consumer-grade satellite Internet of Things data services, which have been widely used in forestry, agriculture, emergency response, and tourism.
Tourism, water conservancy, electricity, petroleum, ocean, ecological environment, smart cities and other industries as well as digital economy scenarios are moving towards the direct-connected satellite market for consumer electronic products.
This mission is the fourth sea launch mission completed by Galaxy Power Aerospace Company. It is also the fifth time that the Ceres-1 series of launch vehicles has launched networking satellites for the “Apocalypse Constellation” (Yao-1, Yao-5, Haiyao-1, Haiyao-2, and Haiyao-4). This marks that as the only private rocket type that can take into account both land and sea launch platforms, the Ceres-1 series of launch vehicles has achieved flexible regional and orbital adaptability and high-density launch capabilities, and can quickly meet the launch needs of different satellite users to the greatest extent. Up to now, Galaxy Power Aerospace Company has successfully carried out 15 commercial launch deliveries, accurately sending a total of 58 commercial satellites with different functions into the predetermined orbits.
❶The 66th launch of China’s space program in 2024 (64 successful launches)
❷The 16th launch of the Ceres-1 carrier rocket (15 successful launches)
❸The 4th launch of the Ceres-1 sea-launched carrier rocket (4 successful launches) ❹The 14th launch of the Oriental Spaceport of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (14 successful launches)
❺The 147th launch of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (141 successful launches) ❻The 36th launch of China’s civil and commercial space program (29 successful launches)
❼The 639th launch of China’s space program (604 successful launches)
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.
星河动力空间科技有限公司 Galactic Energy- Galaxy Power (Beijing) Space Technology Co., Ltd.Located in Block D, Aviation Technology Plaza, E-Town, and Beijing – Beijing – China – People’s Republic of China ….Galaxy Aerospace is the first private aerospace company in China to achieve successful continuous launches, the first to send commercial networked satellites into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit, and the first to master the ability to launch multiple satellites with one carrier rocket
[The Ceres-1 sea launch adds 6 more satellites to China’s space program! ]
At 13:22 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing time on August 29th Thursday, 2024, on the “Dongfang Spaceport” sea launch ship in the Yellow Sea, the “Ceres-1” sea-launched Yao-3 carrier rocket carried six small optical remote sensing satellites, including “Yunyao-1” 15-17 satellites, Jitianxing A03 satellite, “Suxing-1” 01 satellite, and “Tianfu Gaofen-2” satellite, and sent the satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 535 kilometers.
The “Ceres-1” sea-launched carrier rocket is a small solid-fuel carrier rocket. The arrow is about 20 meters high, 1.4 meters in diameter, with a takeoff mass of about 33 tons and a capacity of 300 kilograms in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 500 kilometers.
The Ceres-1 sea-launched rocket was developed by Beijing Galactic Energy. It is an adaptive improvement on the Ceres-1 standard rocket. It is a four-stage small rocket with a four-stage tandem configuration. The first, second and third stages use solid power, and the fourth stage uses liquid power. The rocket is about 20 meters high and 1.4 meters in diameter. It has a takeoff mass of about 33 tons and a takeoff thrust of 60 tons. Its altitude is 500 kilometers and the sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) has a carrying capacity of 300 kilograms.
Since its successful maiden flight on November 7, 2020, Ceres-1 has carried out 15 launches, 14 of which were successful, with a success rate of about 93.33%. Since the successful launch of the Ceres-1 sea-launched Yao-1 rocket on September 5, 2023, Ceres-1 has successfully carried out three consecutive sea launches, leading the way among private commercial aerospace companies.
This launch mission is the fourth launch of the Ceres-1 rocket in 2024, the third launch in the Yellow Sea (Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center), the 38th launch in China and the 156th orbital space launch in the world. At the same time, this launch is also the fourth marine space launch in China and the world this year.
This launch mission is the fourth launch of the Ceres-1 rocket in 2024, the third launch in the Yellow Sea (Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center), the 38th launch in China and the 156th orbital space launch in the world.
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.
Static test of composite cabin of “Lijian-2” liquid launch vehicle
Before July 29, 2024, the static test of the composite cabin of the “Lijian-2” liquid launch vehicle was successful. This test mainly verifies whether the structural scheme meets the design requirements under the maximum design load and assesses the feasibility of the composite scheme. Since the beginning of this year, the development of the “Lijian-2” rocket has been rapidly advanced and is steadily moving towards its first flight.
“Lijian-2” is a medium-sized cryogenic liquid carrier rocket developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CAS Space). It adopts a two-and-a-half-stage configuration. The take-off stage adopts a CBC configuration, in which the core first stage and two core first stage module boosters are bundled side by side, and the core second stage is connected in series on the core first stage.
The first stage of the rocket core is equipped with three YF-102 liquid oxygen-kerosene engines, adopting an open gas generator cycle and a pump-front swing design, supporting double swing of ±6°, a single sea level thrust of approximately 85 tons (835 kN), a sea level specific impulse of 275.5 seconds, and a thrust-to-weight ratio of not less than 130; the two boosters are configured basically the same as the first stage of the core; the second stage of the core is equipped with a YF-102V liquid oxygen-kerosene engine with a thrust of approximately 72 tons (710 kN), which can achieve 55%~100% variable thrust, a vacuum specific impulse of 320 seconds (throttling)~330 seconds, and support repeated starts for no less than 2 times.
Schematic diagram of the Force Arrow II
The entire rocket of “Force-2” is 52 meters high. The diameters of the core stage, core stage and booster are all 3.35 meters. It is equipped with a fairing with a diameter of 4.2 meters. The take-off mass is 625 tons and the take-off thrust is 766 tons. Its low-Earth orbit (LEO) carrying capacity is 12 tons and its 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) carrying capacity is 8 tons.
The ultimate goal of “Force Arrow II” is to become a reusable launch vehicle, realize multiple recovery and reuse of the core stage and boosters, and support reuse more than 20 times. The three-core parallel launch stage of the arrow will implement cluster separation and cluster recovery. The convenience lies in that it only needs to be equipped with a flight control system and a recovery and landing system, the latter includes a set of sang rudders and a set of landing legs. Two of the four sang rudders are distributed in the core stage, and the other two are distributed in the boosters. Two of the four landing legs are distributed in the core stage, and the other two are distributed in the boosters. According to the plan, “Force Arrow II” will realize the recovery of the core stage and booster modules in 2028.
The first flight is to launch a cargo spacecraft
Since the proposal, the “Lijian-2” has undergone major changes in the plan. The current design is very different from the previous single-stage plan, and the first flight has been postponed for several years. According to the plan, in August 2025, the “Lijian-2” will make its first flight at the No. 2 station of the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, and the takeoff stage will not be recovered.
The first flight mission of “Lijian-2” carried a heavy-duty cargo spacecraft. The cargo spacecraft was developed by the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the bidding for the overall plan of the low-cost cargo transportation system for the Chinese space station released by the China Manned Space Engineering Office in May 2023, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Satellite Innovation Institute jointly carried out ship-rocket joint demonstration and key technology research, and carried out the “ship-rocket-cargo” integrated space-to-earth transportation system plan design. With the ship-rocket collaborative solution of the low-cost cargo spacecraft and the “Lijian-2” rocket, it was successfully shortlisted in the bidding and entered the detailed design stage of the plan.
The launch mission of the low-cost cargo spacecraft to be carried out by the Lijian-2 rocket is the first time that a Chinese commercial aerospace enterprise has participated in the development and launch of a low-cost cargo transportation project for the Chinese space station. If it is finally selected, the Lijian-2 will become China’s first commercial rocket to carry out manned space missions, which will also be a recognition of the reliability of the Lijian-2.
Build your own advantages by networking for the constellation!
As a commercial aerospace enterprise, China Aerospace Science and Technology is targeting the vast commercial space launch market, especially the low-orbit satellite constellation launch service market. my country’s currently planned low-orbit constellation contains tens of thousands of satellites, which require launch vehicles to provide large-capacity, high-frequency, low-cost, and high-reliability launch services. Compared with China’s liquid commercial rockets of the same level, the “Lijian-2” rocket does not have an advantage in capacity, but it can work hard on high frequency, low cost, and high reliability.
Create high-frequency launches. At the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center in China, two launch stations have been built. Both stations have a designed launch capacity of 16 times per year. Station 2 is a general-purpose station that needs to support the launch of more than a dozen types of rockets, which is far from enough for high-frequency launches. In addition to using Hainan Commercial Launch Station 2, China Science and Technology Aerospace is building a dedicated technical preparation plant at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and is about to build a dedicated launch station for the “Lijian-2” rocket. Based on self-built stations, China Science and Technology Aerospace will be able to achieve dozens of launch frequencies per year.
The core secondary box section of “Lijian-2”
Achieve low cost. “Lijian-2” uses a lot of mature technologies. The main power is all YF-102 series engines. All stages use mainstream tank modules with a diameter of 3.35 meters. It uses the same avionics system as “Lijian-1”. The application of mature and common technologies means that costs can be greatly reduced. At the same time, simplifying the design is another important way to control costs. For example, the core second-stage box section takes into account the functions of the traditional liquid rocket instrument cabin and cancels the core second-stage instrument cabin, which simplifies the cabin structure and saves materials.
Achieve high reliability. While applying mature and general technologies, the power system and avionics system adopt redundant design, and the separation scheme is simple, making the rocket highly reliable. For example, the launch stage of the rocket is equipped with 9 YF-102 engines, with a single sea level thrust of about 85 tons, a total rocket takeoff thrust of 766 tons, a takeoff mass of 625 tons, and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.23, achieving a large power redundancy, and can complete the launch mission in the event of one engine failure.
Schematic diagram of the heavy-duty “Force Arrow II”
Building a stronger model
After my country’s low-orbit constellation enters the large-scale networking period, the intensive networking and launch of tens of thousands of satellites requires a large-scale reusable launch vehicle, but the current “Lijian-2” has obviously insufficient capacity.
Based on the Lijian-2, China Aerospace Science and Technology will develop a more powerful “Lijian-2” heavy-lift launch vehicle (called “heavy”, but actually large). The latter is based on the former and adds two core-stage module boosters to achieve five cores in parallel (5CBC). The “Lijian-2” heavy-lift rocket is 56 meters high, with optional fairings of 4.2 meters and 5 meters in diameter, a takeoff mass of 913 tons, a low-Earth orbit (LEO) capacity of 22 tons, and a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) capacity of 15 tons. The core stage and booster can be reused more than 20 times.
In general, the “Force-2” will be a high-quality rocket that can meet market demand to a large extent. Facing the needs of constellation network launches, with its advantages of high frequency, low cost and high reliability, the “Force-2” is bound to become one of the main near-Earth “flights”.
深蓝航天 Deep Blue Limited – Deep Blue AerospaceLandspace One of sixty Chinese private space Carrier Rocket Companies in China-People’s Republic of China… As many of sixty plus Private Rocket Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. was established in 2017. The company is mainly a high-tech aerospace enterprise that focuses on the direction of liquid recovery and reusable launch vehicles and provides users with commercial launch services. Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. At the same time, the company has rocket general and liquid engine R&D centers in Yizhuang, Beijing and Xi’an, Shaanxi, respectively, and a rocket power system test base in Tongchuan, Shaanxi…..
[The first stage of the Nebula-1 rocket of Deep Blue Aerospace has successfully completed the three-machine parallel full-time sequence power system series test. The first stage of the Nebula-1 rocket is about to undergo a VTVL high-altitude vertical recovery flight test]
On July 21, 2024, the Nebula-1 rocket (referred to as “Nebula-1”) independently developed by Deep Blue Aerospace completed the first stage three-machine parallel full-time sequence power system series test at the Deep Blue Jigang Test Base in Jinan City, and achieved complete success.
This test simulated the full working conditions of high-altitude recovery flight and a large range of engine variable thrust test. During the test, the first stage of the “Nebula-1” rocket also carried out verification of the system performance of locking, unlocking, and semi-deployment of landing legs and grid rudders in real vibration and thermal environments. After the test, the entire system including the engine, landing legs and grid rudders was inspected and confirmed to be in good condition.
After the test, the rocket body will go to the test site to prepare for the upcoming high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of the first stage of the “Nebula-1” rocket.
