HELSINKI — A young Chinese launch startup has reached orbit with its Gravity-1 all-solid launch vehicle, smashing the record for payload capacity for Chinese commercial rockets.
Orienspace’s Gravity-1 rocket lifted off from Defu-15002 mobile sea platform in the Yellow Sea at 12:30 a.m. Eastern (0530 UTC) Jan. 11. Ignition of the solid rocket motors produced large plumes of exhaust, with debris visibly falling into the sea as the rocket climbed into the sky. The firm confirmed launch success shortly after.
The three satellites, Yunyao-1 (18-20), were later tracked by 478 by 499-kilometer orbits with inclinations of 49.99 degrees by U.S. Space Force space domain awareness.
The mission was the first launch for Orienspace which was founded in 2020. Gravity-1 consists of three stages and four boosters. It boasts the capability to lift around 6,500 kilograms of payload to low Earth orbit, or 3,700 kilograms to 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, when using a kerosene-liquid oxygen third stage.
Orienspace is based in Shandong and has facilities in the province. The Haiyang sea launch facilities for today’s launch are also in Shandong. It secured a number of rounds of funding totalling more than $150 million.
The Yunyao-1 satellites are for Tianjin-based Yunyao Yuhang which aims to construct a constellation to provide data for global weather forecasting. Services could include even short-term earthquake forecasting, according to its press statements.
Changguang Satellite Technology (CGST), a commercial remote sensing satellite firm, manufactured the satellites.
Orienspace CEO Yao Song, who first rose to fame in the semiconductor industry, stated previously that the firm has already secured orders for the launch of hundreds of satellites and been shortlisted in plans for a number of satellite constellations. Orienspace plans two further Gravity-1 launches for…
Read the full article here