China’s Gravity-1 Launches Nine Satellites
China has successfully launched nine satellites aboard the Gravity-1 commercial rocket from a sea-based platform off Shanghai, completing the vehicle’s third orbital mission.
Gravity-1 Rocket Launches From Sea
The solid-propellant rocket lifted off at 10.54 am Beijing time on July 22 from a launch service vessel positioned in the East China Sea. All nine satellites were subsequently placed into their designated orbits.
The mission marked Gravity-1’s first long-range sea launch and the first far-sea flight conducted by a privately developed Chinese commercial rocket. Its previous missions were launched from maritime platforms closer to Haiyang in Shandong province.
Gravity-1 was developed and operated by Chinese private aerospace company Orienspace. The rocket completed its maiden flight in January 2024, followed by a second successful mission in October 2025.
Nine Satellites Enter Planned Orbits
The latest payload included six Dongpo Earth-observation satellites alongside Xiguang-2 01, Tianyi-49 and Zidingxiang-3.
The Dongpo satellites are designed to provide continuous Earth-observation services under different weather and lighting conditions. Xiguang-2 01 and Tianyi-49 will support mineral exploration, agriculture, forestry, environmental monitoring and urban planning.
Zidingxiang-3 will conduct tests involving an ultra-flat satellite structure and attitude-control technologies.
China Expands Commercial Space Launches
Standing approximately 30 metres tall, Gravity-1 is regarded as the world’s most powerful operational solid-fuel launch vehicle. It uses three core stages and four solid-propellant strap-on boosters.
The rocket can carry up to 6.5 tonnes into low-Earth orbit or approximately 4.2 tonnes into a sun-synchronous orbit. Its payload capacity allows it to deploy multiple satellites during a single flight.
Sea launches provide operators with greater flexibility when selecting orbital trajectories while reducing safety risks to populated areas. The successful mission expands China’s capacity to conduct commercial satellite deployments from maritime locations as demand for communication and Earth-observation constellations grows.
Orienspace is also developing the larger Gravity-2 and Gravity-3 launch vehicles using a combination of liquid-fuel core stages and solid boosters.
