China’s Kinetica 2 rocket sends 18 satellites into orbit

A Kinetica 2 rocket lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Tuesday morning [Photo: China Daily]

CAS Space, a major Chinese commercial space company, conducted the second flight of its Kinetica 2 rocket on Tuesday morning, sending 18 satellites into orbit.

The 53-meter-tall rocket lifted off at 8:15 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. After a brief flight, it reached outer space and deployed the 18 satellites, which make up the 21st group of space-based components of the Spacesail Constellation, into their designated orbits, according to the Beijing-headquartered company.

The mission was the 18th orbital launch conducted by CAS Space, which was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It also marked the first time the company’s rocket had been used to deploy a large group of satellites for China’s internet satellite network.

The Kinetica 2 is a medium-lift, liquid-fueled rocket and the second launch vehicle developed by CAS Space, following the Kinetica 1. It is the company’s first liquid-propellant rocket and is designed to support China’s large-scale satellite deployment and low-cost cargo transportation to the Chinese space station.

The rocket consists of a multistage core booster, which has a diameter of 3.35 meters, and two side boosters, each also 3.35m in diameter. Its liftoff weight is 625 metric tons, and its maximum thrust is 753 tons. The rocket can transport spacecraft with a combined weight of 8 tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers, or 12 tons to a low Earth orbit 200 km above Earth.

To date, CAS Space has used its rockets to send 139 satellites and an experimental cargo spacecraft into orbit, with a combined payload weight of more than 27 metric tons, the company said. It claimed to rank first among Chinese commercial rocket contractors in terms of the number of satellites launched and total payload weight. Zhao Lei, China Daily MDT/China Daily