Galactic Energy's four-stage solid-fuel commercial small launch vehicle delivering 300 kg to SSO from Chinese spaceports.
Ceres-1
Galactic Energy's four-stage solid-fuel commercial small launch vehicle delivering 300 kg to SSO from Chinese spaceports.
Description
Ceres-1 (Gushenxing-1) is a four-stage solid-fuel commercial launch vehicle developed and operated by Galactic Energy (Beijing Xinghe Power Aerospace Technology Co.), one of China's leading private commercial launch companies. The vehicle delivers approximately 400 kg to LEO or 300 kg to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at 500 km, targeting the commercial small satellite market.
Galactic Energy made history on November 7, 2020 with the Ceres-1's first flight, making it the first Chinese private commercial company to successfully reach orbit on the first attempt. The company has since conducted multiple successful commercial missions, launching smallsats for domestic and international customers.
The four-stage all-solid configuration provides simplicity, reliability, and rapid launch preparation, with the vehicle operating from both land-based and sea-launch configurations. Galactic Energy is simultaneously developing the larger Pallas-1 vehicle (LOX/Kerosene) targeting 1,500 kg to LEO in a partially reusable configuration.
Specifications
| Stages | 4 (all solid) |
|---|---|
| Payload to LEO | ~400 kg |
| Payload to SSO | ~300 kg (500 km) |
| First flight | November 7, 2020 (success) |
| Achievement | First Chinese private company to orbit on first attempt |
| Launch sites | Jiuquan SLC; sea launch platform |