Galactic Energy to launch rockets from the sea

According to Xia Dongkun, a vice-president at Galactic Energy, the company has scheduled the launch of one of its Ceres 1 rockets in the Yellow Sea off the coast of Shandong province, sometime between June and August. The rocket will carry five to six small satellites into a low-Earth orbit.

While China has performed five sea-based launches, using the Long March 11 rocket and the Smart Dragon 3, both products of the State-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, none have been by a private company.

Xia said that sea-based launches offered an alternative to land-based facilities, which were already occupied with government-backed programs, and would allow for more launches per year. Safety and efficiency were also important considerations, with the lower risk to densely populated areas along the rocket's trajectory and the ability to launch near the equator, increasing carrying capacity and lowering launch costs.

Galactic Energy has already achieved five successful orbital launches with its Ceres 1 model, outperforming other private competitors. These launches took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert and placed 19 satellites into orbit.

While there are several private rocket companies in China, only Galactic Energy and i-Space, another Beijing-based company, have achieved orbital missions, which involve deploying payloads into orbit in outer space.