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Private company Orienspace has put satellites into orbit
Chinese space startup Orienspace has launched a rocket of its own production. According to the company, this is the most powerful launch vehicle unveiled by a private company in the country.
The ship launched Gravity-1 near the coast of the Yellow Sea. The rocket landed successfully in orbit, delivering three satellites to study the planet.
Launching the Orienspace rocket is an important milestone in developing China’s private space sector. It opens up opportunities for other start-ups working in the field. A few years ago, space activities were exclusively governmental. It was extremely difficult for private companies to compete with the giants and their almost inexhaustible resources. Now, more and more private projects can offer promising directions for space development.
The emergence of start-ups such as Orienspace benefits individual cities and provinces in China. For example, the coastal city of Haiyang is already looking at ways to monetise rocket launches, which will likely increase.
Rocket characteristics
According to the manufacturer, the Gravity-1 rocket is designed for launches into low and medium earth orbits. Its characteristics:
- can carry a payload of up to 6,500kg into low orbit;
- it is the most powerful rocket produced by the Chinese private sector;
- it is capable of putting about 30 satellites into orbit at a time. This figure is similar to that of SpaceX;
- launches take no more than 7 days to organise. In some cases, Orienspace promises to prepare a flight in just 24 hours.
In 2023, the startup claimed to have already signed agreements to launch more than 100 satellites.
Another advantage of Gravity-1 is its ability to launch from a mobile offshore platform. This will significantly increase the number of launch sites. In addition, sea launches are less risky for the population and the planet as a whole. In this case, the likelihood of the rocket’s components falling into populated areas is reduced.
With this launch, Orienspace has become the country’s fifth-largest private space company. Apart from Orienspace, Space Pioneer, i-Space, LandSpace and Galactic Energy also offer their own rockets.
Company overview
Orienspace was founded in 2020 by former state enterprise specialists. In addition to Gravity rockets, the company develops Force rocket engines.
As of 2023, the startup raised four rounds of funding. The total amount raised was more than US$150 million.
The rocket range consists of three variants: Gravity-1, Gravity-2 and Gravity-3. The company plans to launch Gravity-2 in 2025. This 60-metre-high rocket can carry a payload of 25.6 tonnes.