China CAS Space Commercial Rocket Launch of Eight Earth Observation Satellites
A Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) Y14 rocket, developed by Chinese commercial space company CAS Space, blasted off at 11:44 am Beijing Time (BJT) on June 15, 2026, from Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone in Northwest China delivering eight rideshare satellites into their designated orbits. These remote sensing satellites are now in Earth orbit and will image a variety of areas on behalf of Chinese provincial and municipal operators.
Kinetica-1 is now the first vehicle from a private Chinese provider to launch 100 satellites. Today’s launch was the 14th launch for Kinetica-1, and the 15th for CAS Space through its Kinetica family of launch vehicles. This was also the 40th launch from China in 2026. The CAS Space team continues to expand rocket production and launch frequency to meet rising commercial demand. The CAS Space factory in Guangzhou aims for low-cost, mass-production. The Kinetica-1 launch vehicle has flown for the third time in three months, delivering eight Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGSTL) built satellites into orbit where they will begin imaging Earth below for provincial and municipal operators including:
CGSTL manufactured several satellites for this launch mission, starting with its own Jilin Gaofen-07C04 (吉星高分07C04星), for an expansion of its Jilin-1 (吉林一号) Earth imaging constellation. Caiyun Opitcal-01 (彩云光学01星), a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite dedicated to Yunnan province for geological disaster prevention and monitoring of natural resources, jointly backed by the Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and the Yunnan Geological and Mining Group (云南地矿集团).
Antie-03 (安铁03星), also a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite for Quanzhou Zhongke Xingqiao Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd. (泉州中科星桥空天技术有限公司), supported by Anxi County People’s Government for ‘smart’ crop monitoring and management for Fujian province’s tea industry as part of its digital upgrade plans.
‘Lichuan Red (利川红)’, another a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite that is for the city of Lichuan in Hubei province, to monitor its ecological situation and resources, while supporting its tea industry, backed by Lichuan Municipal People's Government, who have technical support from Hubei Lirui Technology Co. Ltd.
Cultural Relics-01 (文物01星), tasked with monitoring cultural heritage sites from space by the National Cultural Heritage Administration via its high-resolution optical remote sensing capabilities.
Three other satellites launched were not yet named by CAS Space or their owner/operators.
Kinetica-1 is CAS Space’s first launch vehicle and consists of four stages, all burning solid fuel. CAS Space offers the ability to launch a single satellite to utilize all of the rocket’s payload capacity, however more ‘rideshare’ missions occur for multiple satellites to be delivered in one launch.
The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is:
2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit
1,500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit
The first-stage is powered by a solid rocket booster that burns an unspecified solid fuel, generating 200 tons of thrust. The second-stage is also powered by a solid rocket booster, producing 110 tons of thrust with the same unidentified propellant. The-third stage, also using the undisclosed propellant, generates 45 tons of thrust. Finally, the fourth-stage is powered by another solid rocket booster, providing 8 tons of thrust with the same solid propellant.
On its launch pad, Kinetica-1 stands at 30 meters tall. The first two stages have a diameter of 2.65 meters, the fairing has a diameter of either 2.65 or 3.35 meters. When prepared for launch Kinetica-1 weighs a believed 135,000 kilograms.
CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Text Credits: CAS Space, Xinhua, CGTN
Date: June 15, 2026
#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y14Rocket #Lijian1Y14 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education
No comments:
Post a Comment