China is reaching for the stars in 2025! On January 20, Beijing-based rocket company Galactic Energy launched its CERES-1 Y16 rocket, marking China’s first commercial rocket launch of the year.
At 6:11 p.m., the CERES-1 Y16 rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on a mission called “On Your Shoulders.” The rocket carried five satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit 535 kilometers above Earth.
Among the satellites were four Yunyao-1 satellites (numbers 37 to 40) equipped with special instruments that collect important data about our planet’s atmosphere. They gather information on temperature, humidity, pressure, and even the ionosphere, which can help improve weather forecasts and support industries like mining.
The fifth satellite, JTX A-05, is equipped with a hyperspectral camera that takes detailed images of Earth. This technology helps in monitoring the environment, detecting industrial emissions, identifying gas leaks, supporting agriculture, exploring minerals, managing forests, and even planning cities.
This successful launch is the 16th for the CERES-1 rocket series, which has now placed 63 satellites into orbit. Interestingly, the CERES-1 Y16 is the first rocket built at Galactic Energy’s new research and production base in Ziyang, Sichuan Province.
Galactic Energy’s achievement highlights China’s growing role in the commercial space industry. With more missions like this, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for space exploration, bringing new technologies and opportunities that could benefit people around the world.
Reference(s):
CERES-1 Soars: China's first commercial rocket launch of 2025
cgtn.com
