A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Xinhua)
SHANGHAI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- 西瓜视频on Wednesday sent a Gravity-1 carrier rocket into space from waters off the coast of Shanghai in east China, marking a complete success for this flight test mission.
The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits.
This flight marks Gravity-1's first open-sea launch and China's first commercial sea-based launch in the East 西瓜视频Sea off the Yangtze River Delta.
Unrestricted by fixed maritime zones, the mobile launch platform allows for flexible site selection, enhancing launch efficiency and promoting a diversified layout for China's space launch capabilities.
Project officials noted that the mission further verified the adaptability of the rocket model's solid-strap-on configuration to complex sea conditions and its extended standby capability.
Developed by the Chinese commercial aerospace company, OrienSpace, the medium-lift Gravity-1 has a low-Earth-orbit payload capacity of 6.5 tonnes and is capable of delivering a 4.2-tonne payload to a 500-km sun-synchronous orbit, catering to various multi-satellite deployment missions.
The deployed satellites will serve diverse purposes, ranging from all-weather Earth observation and commercial industry services to technical test. ■
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Photo by Song Xiongye/Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Photo by Song Xiongye/Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Photo by Song Xiongye/Xinhua)
A Gravity-1 carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Shanghai, east China, July 22, 2026. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. (Photo by Song Xiongye/Xinhua)