China launched a ZK 1A carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, transporting 26 satellites into space. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
China launched a ZK 1A carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, transporting 26 satellites into space and setting a new record for the most spacecraft launched by a single Chinese rocket.
The 30-meter, solid-propellant rocket blasted off at 12:10 pm and soon placed the satellites into preset orbits, including the Shiyan 24A and 24B experimental satellites.
The 26 satellites are tasked with carrying out technological demonstrations and commercial remote-sensing operations, according to CAS Space, a Beijing-based rocket company owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Before the mission, the domestic record for the most satellites launched by a single rocket was held by the first flight of the modified version of the Long March 8 rocket in February 2022, which deployed 22.
China launched a ZK 1A carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, transporting 26 satellites into space. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
The ZK 1A conducted its debut flight at the center in July 2022, becoming the country's largest and most powerful solid-propellant rocket.
The rocket has a length of 30 meters, a diameter of 2.65 meters and a liftoff weight of 135 metric tons. It is capable of sending satellites with a combined weight of 1.5 tons to sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth.
The rocket features a strong carrying capacity, high accuracy, a reliable design, high cost-efficiency, short prelaunch preparations, low requirements for support infrastructure and is one of the best solid-propellant carrier rockets in the world, CAS Space said.
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