According to Xinhua, the SatNet test satellite was launched from the offshore platform located off the city of Hayyang on the Yellow Sea coast.
The launch, in which the satellite settled into its planned position in Low Earth Orbit, was the 11th successful transport mission carried out with the Cielong-3 rocket.
The Cielong-3 rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), can carry up to 1.6 tons of payload from the ground to the Sun Synchronous Orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers.
The solid-fuel rocket, 31 meters long and 2.65 meters in diameter, has a 4-stage firing mechanism. It is anticipated that the rocket, which aims to respond to the increasing demand in the commercial satellite market, will reduce launch costs to below 10 thousand dollars per kilogram.
CALT launched 3 satellites into Sun Synchronous Orbit in 2019 with the Cielong-1 rocket it had previously developed. The first generation rocket had a carrying capacity of 200 kilograms. The next generation Cielong-4 rocket is planned to have a carrying capacity of 2.5 tons.
