Chinese Rocket Launch Fails, Losing Three Satellites
A private Chinese rocket, the Ceres-1, experienced a failure during a launch yesterday, resulting in the loss of all three satellites it was carrying.
The Galactic Energy rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:02 p.m. EST on Sunday (0402 GMT and 12:02 p.m. local time on November 10), aiming to deliver two Jilin-1 Earth-observation satellites and a craft from Zhongbei University to low Earth orbit (LEO). While the first three stages of the rocket performed as expected, the fourth and final stage shut down prematurely, preventing the satellites from reaching their intended orbit. This failure represents a setback for China’s growing private space sector, which is increasingly important for both commercial and national security interests.
Galactic Energy issued a statement expressing regret for the mission failure. “We offer our sincerest apologies to the mission’s customer and to everyone who supports Galactic Energy,” the company said, according to reports. “We will draw lessons from the mission setback and continue to optimize rocket design and quality-management systems.” The Ceres-1, approximately 62 feet tall and capable of carrying up to 880 pounds to LEO, had previously achieved 11 consecutive successful launches following a prior failure in September 2023. More details about the Ceres-1 rocket can be found online.
This was the 22nd mission for the Ceres-1, and only the second failure in its history. Galactic Energy is currently developing more powerful rockets, including the Ceres-2 and the Pallas-1, which will incorporate a reusable first stage similar to those used by SpaceX. The company stated they will investigate the cause of the failure and implement improvements for future launches.
