Two satellites were launched into orbit by one of China’s top space startups, restarting the company’s ambitious plans following its first rocket failure in September.
At 7:33 a.m. local time on Tuesday, a Ceres-1 rocket belonging to Galactic Energy Aerospace Technology Co. lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in northern China, the company announced on its official WeChat account.
The launch coincides with what is anticipated to be a busy month for Chinese rocket startups, who are stepping up their efforts to become a domestic champion that can take on international competitors like SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, or Arianespace, which is backed by Airbus.
According to its WeChat, Beijing-based LandSpace Technologies, which made history in July by being the first company globally to launch a rocket using a liquid methane and oxygen mixture, will shortly launch another rocket from the spaceport in the Gobi Desert.
Before the year is out, Orienspace, a rival local company, plans to launch its Gravity-1 rocket on its first test flight
The “We Won’t Stop” rocket from Galactic Energy was the company’s tenth successful launch and carried a weather and Earth observation satellite into orbit 500 kilometers (310 miles) above Earth.