Chinese start-up successfully launches first rocket: Places two satellites in orbit

A Chinese start-up created history on Thursday by successfully sending two satellites into orbit with carrier rocket developed by it, becoming the first Chinese private firm to do so.

The rocket was fired from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 1:00 p.m. (local time) on Thursday.

The SQX-1 Y1, developed by a Beijing-based private rocket developer i-Space, is a four-stage small commercial carrier rocket, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The rocket's body has a maximum diameter of 1.4 metre, length of 20.8 metres and take-off weight of 31 tonnes. It has a lift capability of sending 260 kg of payload to 500-km high sun-synchronous.

It is thus far the largest and most powerful rocket built by a private Chinese space company, the Beijing-based start-up, the report said.

Fuelled by solid propellant, the iSpace rocket made its breakthrough "from zero to one" for China's private commercial space sector by realising successful orbital launch while carrying ...