Kinetica 1 rocket places eight remote-sensing satellites into orbit

CAS Space, a leading commercial rocket maker in China, launched its 14th Kinetica 1 series rocket on Monday morning. 

The rocket lifted off at 11:44 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province and placed eight satellites into their preset orbital positions. The mission marked China's 42nd space launch this year.

The payloads deployed in this launch are high-resolution optical remote-sensing satellites featuring ultra-high resolution, high system integration and intelligent functions. They can capture high-definition panchromatic images and support along-track stereoscopic imaging as well as agile imaging. Their spectral bands cover five categories: panchromatic, blue, green, red and near-infrared. According to CAS Space, the satellites can provide highly accurate, multi-dimensional image data to support public services.

The Kinetica 1 model, measuring 30 meters in length, 2.65 meters in diameter and a liftoff weight of 135 tons, can deploy satellites with a combined weight of 1.5 tons into a typical sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth.

CAS Space said it has now used Kinetica 1 rockets to deploy 105 satellites for clients, with a combined weight of more than 15 metric tons.

The company said the model consistently ranks first in market share in China's commercial launch service sector.