Manama: China on Monday launched a CERES-1 carrier rocket with five satellites onboard. The rocket blasted off at 6:11 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China and sent a group of satellites, including the Yunyao-1 37-40 and JTX-A-05 models, into their planned orbits.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the four satellites, Yunyao-1 37-40, are equipped with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation payload. This technology enables the satellites to gather information regarding atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure, and ionospheric electron density.
The JTX-A-05 satellite carries a hyperspectral camera payload designed to obtain remote sensing images. These images can be utilized in numerous fields such as ecological environment surveillance, agricultural monitoring, mineral exploration, forest management, and urban planning.
According to Galactic Energy, the rocket developer in the private sector, CERES-1 has successfully completed 16 launches so far. It has sent 63 satellites into preset orbits, establishing itself as a leading commercial launch vehicle in China's space industry, with the largest number of launches and the highest success rate.