CAS Space launches 12th Kinetica 1 rocket

CAS Space, a leading commercial rocket maker in China, launched the 12th rocket in its Kinetica 1 series on Tuesday.

The rocket lifted off at 12:03 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert and then placed eight remote-sensing satellites into their preset orbital positions. The mission was China's 24th space launch this year.

By now, CAS Space has used Kinetica 1 rockets to help clients deploy 92 satellites with a combined weight of more than 12 metric tons.

The Kinetica 1 model — with a length of 30 meters, a diameter of 2.65 meters, and a liftoff weight of 135 tons — is capable of deploying satellites with a combined weight of 1.5 tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth.

Meng Xiangfu, deputy project manager of Kinetica 1, said his company can build over 10 Kinetica 1 rockets each year and can prepare a rocket within six months after a client places an order.