China's commercial space company CAS Space launched its Kinetica 2 rocket for the second time on Tuesday morning, sending 18 satellites into orbit.
The 53-meter-tall rocket blasted off at 8:15 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. It subsequently deployed the satellites, which form the 21st batch of space-based components of the Spacesail Constellation, into their designated orbits, according to the Beijing-headquartered company.
The mission marked the 18th orbital launch conducted by CAS Space, which was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It was also the first time the company's rocket had been used to deploy a large group of satellites for China's satellite internet network.
Yang Haoliang, chief designer and project manager of the Kinetica 2, said after the launch that China's low-orbit satellite internet development had entered a critical phase for large-scale deployment.
"A reliable and low-cost launch vehicle that can be used frequently is critical to sustaining steady progress in building the internet satellite network," he said.
The Kinetica 2 is a medium-lift, liquid-propellant rocket and the second launch vehicle developed by CAS Space, following the Kinetica 1. It is the company's first liquid-propellant rocket and is designed to support China's large-scale satellite deployment efforts and provide low-cost cargo transportation for the country's space station.
The rocket features a multistage core booster and two side boosters, each with a diameter of 3.35 meters. It has a liftoff weight of 625 metric tons and a maximum thrust of 753 tons.
The rocket can carry spacecraft weighing up to eight tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers, or up to 12 tons to low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 200 km.
Lian Jie, a deputy chief designer of the Kinetica 2, said the rocket is scheduled to undertake multiple missions next year to deploy internet satellites.
Paired with Kinastra 1, the company's independently developed upper stage, the rocket will also support deep-space exploration missions to geosynchronous transfer orbit, trans-lunar injection orbit and beyond, he said.
An upper stage is an optional rocket component that operates after the core stage and strap-on boosters have completed their work and separated. It provides additional propulsion to place spacecraft into higher orbits that conventional boosters alone cannot reach.
CAS Space said it has so far used its rockets to send 139 satellites and an experimental cargo spacecraft into orbit, with a combined payload weight of more than 27 tons. The company said it leads China's commercial rocket sector in both the number of satellites launched and their combined payload weight.
Source: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202611/04/WS6aea8610e4b06d4aa0566e83.html
