Galactic Energy's CERES 1 Y5 rocket blasted off at 1:04 pm at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwestern China's Gobi Desert on Monday. Photo: By Wang Jiangbo

Galactic Energy, a private Chinese carrier rocket company, carried out the fifth flight mission of its CERES 1 rocket on Monday, sending five satellites into orbit, indicating that the domestic private rocket sector has ushered in a new phase of concentrated and quick-response launches.

The CERES 1 Y5 rocket blasted off at 1:04 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwestern China's Gobi Desert and placed five satellites used for Earth observation, environmental detection and data collection, into a sun-synchronous orbit, the company said.

The launch came less than two months after the firm sent five optical remote-sensing satellites in the Jilin 1 network into orbit in November, 2022.

The Beijing-based firm said that it will guarantee eight to 10 launches of CERES 1 series rockets as scheduled this year, while steadily promoting the maiden flight of its PALLAS-1 liquid propellant launch vehicle.

Galactic Energy has provided 19 commercial satellite launch services for its customers, setting a new record for China's private commercial rocket launch delivery and far outperforming its peers.

"Achieving five successive successful launches for a private rocket firm is not an easy task, indicating that the firm has forged a closed loop from the research and development (R&D) of rockets to delivery," said Lan Tianyi, founder of Beijing-based Ultimate Blue Nebula Co, a space industry consultancy.

This achievement will boost the industry's prospects and improve the confidence of related sectors such as banks and insurers that have concerns over the risk of rocket launches, Lan told the Global Times on Monday.

China's private commercial space sector has been growing rapidly in recent years, with companies aiming for consecutive launches, low cost and quick responses. Several leading firms have made efforts to launch carrier rockets.

In July 2019, start-up iSpace's carrier rocket sent satellites into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, a milestone for China's commercial space industry as it was the first private space firm to do so. The company subsequently had suffered three consecutive launch failures due to technical malfunctions.

LandSpace, another rocket firm that is engaged in the R&D of methane-fueled rockets, failed in December 2022 to achieve an orbital launch. 

Despite the failure, it marked the country's first attempt at using a privately developed liquid propellant launch vehicle.

"The industry is like a marathon, and we hope there will be full competition with different firms that excel using different technology routes, which is beneficial for the industry's long-term healthy development," Lan said.