Ceres 1 carrier rocket adopts a four stage configuration, of which the first, second and third stages adopt solid power, and the fourth stage adopts advanced orbit control and attitude control integrated liquid power.The rocket has a diameter of 1.4 meters, a total length of about 20 meters, a take-off weight of about 33 tons, and a maximum capacity of 300 kilograms in a 500 km solar synchronous orbit, which can meetMicrosatelliteFlexible customized launch service requirements such as exclusive, sharing and carrying[41]。
The first stage engine test run of Ceres 1 carrier rocket was completed in 2018, and the first launch was successful on November 7, 2020.[2]At 7:33 on December 5, 2023 (Beijing time), the Ceres 1 remote nine carrier rocket was successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, and the Tianyan 16 and Xingchi 1A were successfully put into the scheduled orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.[50]
At 16:12 on May 29, 2024, the Ceres 1 sea launched remote 2 carrier rocket was successfully launched.This mission is the 12th flight of Ceres 1 carrier rocket.[53]
At 13:00 on June 6, 2024 (Beijing time), Xinghe Power Space Company successfully launched the Ceres 1 (Remote 13) carrier rocket (mission code: Love On Top) at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending TEE-01B (Earth Eye 1 satellite), Nasxing 3 A and B, three satellites in total, and the Aishen orbit retention test platform into the sun synchronous orbit with an instantaneous orbit height of 545km.This is the third successful launch of Ceres 1 carrier rocket in ten days.[55-56]
In 2014, the State Council issued the Guiding Opinions on Innovating Investment and Financing Mechanisms in Key Fields to Encourage Social Investment[7]And other guiding documents, making it possible for private capital to enter commercial aerospace.Subsequently, a variety of aerospace enterprises emerged in the society and began to engage in aerospace technology research and development and testing.Beijing Xinghe Power Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Xinghe Power) is one of them[5]。
Xinghe Power is a commercial launch vehicle R&D company. Its core products include the "Ceres" series of small solid launch vehicles, the "Wisdom" series of medium-sized liquid launch vehicles, the "Lightyear" series of solid rocket motors, the "Heavenly" series of liquid rocket motors and attitude control power devices. It mainly provides low-cost, highly reliableFast response systematic solution for entering space[11][38]。
In November 2018, the first stage engine test of "Ceres I" was completed;
In April 2019, complete the test run of 2000 N attitude control engine[1]。
In September 2019, the "three in one" test of Ceres I was successful[1]。The "three in one" test is fully called "the joint hot test of the secondary engine and the servo system and the first and second stage heat separation test".The main purpose is to check and verify the working reliability of the secondary engine, obtain the internal ballistic performance data, verify the correctness of the separation scheme between the first and second stages of the rocket, verify the environmental adaptability and system matching of the servo system and the vector nozzle, and obtain other measurement parameters related to the "three in one" test.
The test results show that the cutting cable between the first and second stages of the rocket is cut according to the predetermined time sequence, the separation process is normal, and the separation environment meets the expectations;The ignition of the secondary engine is normal, the whole process is normal, the working time is 74 seconds, the thrust is 28 tons, and the vacuum specific impulse is 285.8 seconds. The main technical indicators meet the requirements.During engine operation, the servo system cooperates with the nozzle, the nozzle works normally, and the servo characteristics meet the requirements[1]。
In April 2020, Ceres 1 carrier rocket was officially approved.
In January 2021, the key technology test of the core level I engine will be completed.
In June 2021, complete the assembly of the core level I engine.
In June 2020, the ground tests such as separation test of the rocket fairing, inertial group fine vibration test, and cold test of the whole system of the upper stage of the orbit attitude control of Ceres 1 remote one rocket will continue to provide solid ground verification support for the first flight of the rocket[8]。
Ceres 1 Launch Vehicle Upright
system composition
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overall design
Ceres I rocket adopts a four stage configuration, of which the first, second and third stages adopt solid power, and the fourth stage adopts advanced orbit control and attitude control integrated liquid power.The rocket has a diameter of 1.4 meters, a total length of about 20 meters, a takeoff weight of about 33 tons, and a maximum capacity of 300 kilograms in a 500 km solar synchronous orbit, which can meet the flexible needs of customized launch services such as exclusive, shared, and carried microsatellites[4-6]。
The fairing diameter of Ceres 1 rocket was increased to 1.6 meters and the length was increased to 5.2 meters. The total space inside the fairing reached 8.1 cubic meters, further optimizing the loading space and improving the comprehensive delivery and launch service capacity[39]。
dynamic system
The first stage engine of Ceres I rocket uses "light year" 8.5 MPa high-pressure staged combustion engine, with maximum thrust of 65 tons, working time of 73.9 seconds, and ground specific impulse of 249.5 seconds.Vector engine is used in the second stage, and thermal separation scheme is used between the first stage and the second stage, so the separation time of the two stages is short. This design can make the second stage obtain good initial stability.The three-stage engine has broken through and integrated a number of key technologies, achieving a mass ratio of up to 0.926.
On November 3, 2018, the test run of the "Lightyear" series 60 ton thrust primary engine was successful.So far, Galaxy Power has achieved the breakthrough development of high thrust solid rocket motor in the domestic commercial aerospace field.The engine of the whole series has a minimum diameter of 100 mm, a maximum diameter of 2 meters, a minimum thrust of 30 N, and a maximum thrust of 100 tons, which can be flexibly customized according to the launch demand.[40]
Control system
The control system of Ceres I rocket adopts innovative designs such as overall/structural/dynamic integration design, simplified control of rolling channel for minimum propellant consumption, distributed orbit and attitude control power system, 3D printed orbit and attitude control engine, vertical self-aligning, etc.
Design parameters
Reference data of Ceres 1 carrier rocket:
Level I single solid motor GS-1 thrust: 60 tons (sea level);Combustion time: 74 seconds;
Two stage single solid motor GS-2 thrust: 28 tons;Combustion time: 70 seconds;
Three stage single solid motor GS-3 thrust: 15 tons;Combustion time: 69 seconds;
At 15:12 on November 7, 2020, the Ceres 1 carrier rocket successfully made its first flight at China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and successfullyApocalypse Eleven StarsSend to the preset track[2][12]。The 11 stars of the Apocalypse Constellation launched on board are part of the Apocalypse IoT Constellation, which is mainly used to provide data acquisition and transmission services. Shanghai AES Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Guodian High Technology Co., Ltd. are respectively responsible for the development and application[3]。
On May 12, 2021, Xinghe Power Aerospace and China Huateng Industry Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing. The two sides reached a strategic cooperation agreement on matters related to the joint opening up of the international market of the "Ceres I" series of commercial launch vehicles.[13]
Ceres 1 launch satellite
In May 2022, Galaxy Power Aerospace will launch the "Ceres One (Yaosan)" commercial carrier rocket at the right time in the near future. The mission code is WHITE IS THE NEW BLACK.[17]On June 17, Xinghe Power Aerospace Corporation completed the second reliability growth test run of the "boundary" orbit attitude control power system of Ceres 1 carrier rocket.[18]At 12:11 on August 9, Xinghe Power Space Company launched the Ceres 1 (Yaosan) Xingguang Yichai carrier rocket at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending Taijing 1 01, 02 and Donghai 1 satellites into 500 km solar synchronous orbit·The "Ceres 1" commercial carrier rocket has been launched three times in a row, creating a new record for the development of private rockets in China.[20]On September 7, IT Home reported that Xinghe Power, a commercial aerospace technology company, announced that it had successfully organized and completed the acceptance test of the Ceres 1 commercial rocket transfer launch vehicle. The launch vehicle's indicators met the requirements and had met the delivery conditions.[24]In October, Xinghe Power Aerospace will launch the commercial carrier rocket "Ceres 1 (Remote 4)" at the right time. The mission code is YOUNG FOR YOU。[25]At 14:20 on November 16, the Ceres I remote four carrier rocket was launched at China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and five Jilin I high resolution 03D satellites were put into the scheduled orbit. The launch mission was successful. These satellites were mainly used to provide commercial remote sensing services.This mission is the fourth flight of Ceres 1 carrier rocket.[26]
At 13:04 on January 9, 2023, the Ceres 1 remote five carrier rocket was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Five satellites, including Keji 1, Tianqi 13, Tianmu 1 meteorological constellation 01/02 and Nantong Zhongxue, were put into the scheduled orbit. The launch mission was successful.[28]This mission is the fifth flight of Ceres 1 carrier rocket[29]。On June 19, it was reported that Xinghe Power Aerospace would launch the commercial carrier rocket "Ceres 1 (Yao 6)" at the right time in the near future. The mission code is LEMON TREE[30]At 13:07 on July 22, the Ceres 1 remote six carrier rocket was successfully launched at China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and two commercial satellites, Qiankun 1 and Xingshidai 16, were successfully put into the scheduled orbit, and the launch mission was obtained.[32]
At 12:03 on August 10, 2023, Beijing time, the Gushenxing 1 remote seven carrier rocket was successfully launched at China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and seven satellites, including the Xiguang 1 01 satellite and the "Henan Science and Technology 1" AI intelligent remote sensing satellite of Henan University of Technology, were successfully put into the scheduled orbit, and the launch mission was obtained.[33][35]
At 12:59 on August 25, 2023, Beijing time, the Ceres 1 Remote 8 carrier rocket was successfully launched at China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and the Jilin 1 Wide 02A satellite was successfully launched into the scheduled orbit.[42]
On August 31, 2023, Xinghe Power Aerospace announced on the official account that it would launch the commercial carrier rocket "Ceres 1 Sea launched (Far One)" at the right time in the near future, with the mission code of The Little Mermaid.At the same time, the insignia of Ceres 1 sea launched (Yaoyi) carrier rocket was officially unveiled.[43]
At 17:34 on September 5, 2023, China Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center successfully launched four satellites from 21 to 24 of the Tianqi Constellation into the scheduled orbit using the Ceres 1 sea launched carrier rocket in Haiyang, Shandong Province and the surrounding waters.This mission is the ninth flight of Ceres 1 carrier rocket.[44]
On September 13, 2023, Xinghe Power Aerospace announced that it would launch the commercial carrier rocket "Ceres 1 (far 11)" Autumn Sonata in the near future.[45]
At 12:59 on September 21, 2023, China launched Jilin I high score 04B satellite from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with the private commercial carrier rocket Ceres 1. The rocket flight was abnormal and the launch mission failed.The specific reasons are being further analyzed and investigated.[47]
On October 23, 2023, Xinghe Power Aerospace Co., Ltd. organized and held a review meeting on returning to zero for the flight failure of Ceres 1 (Yao 11) carrier rocket.According to the published reasons for the failure, the flight failure of the Ceres 1 (Yao 11) carrier rocket was located in the abnormal ablation of the nozzle expansion section of the primary engine.In the process of machining the screw holes in the nozzle expansion section assembly, improper operation led to internal defects in the carbon cloth layer, resulting in abnormal ablation of the expansion section, which led to the instability of the primary flight attitude.[49]
At 7:33 on December 5, 2023 (Beijing time), the Ceres 1 remote nine carrier rocket was successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, and the Tianyan 16 and Xingchi 1A were successfully put into the scheduled orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.[50]
On May 29, 2024, China Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center successfully launched the Ceres 1 sea launched tele-2 carrier rocket in the sea area near Shandong Province, and the 25~28 stars of the Apocalypse Constellation successfully entered the scheduled orbit, and the flight test mission was a complete success.This mission is the 12th flight of Ceres 1 carrier rocket.[52-53]
At 7:39 on May 31, 2024 (Beijing time), China successfully launched Aurora Constellation 01 and 02 by using the Ceres 1 commercial carrier rocket at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The satellite successfully entered the scheduled orbit and the launch mission was a complete success.The mission also carried and launched Zhangjiang Gaoke satellite, Yunyao 1 26 satellite and Hebei Linxi 1 satellite.[55]
At 13:00 on June 6, 2024 (Beijing time), Xinghe Power Space Company successfully launched the Ceres 1 (Remote 13) carrier rocket (mission code: Love On Top) at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending TEE-01B (Earth Eye 1 satellite), Nasxing 3 A and B, three satellites in total, and the Aishen orbit retention test platform into the sun synchronous orbit with an instantaneous orbit height of 545km.This is the third successful launch of Ceres 1 carrier rocket in ten days.[56]
technological innovation
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Ceres 1 rocket has made many achievements in technological innovation, including the use of new engines, optimization of control systems and the addition of fairing.
Ceres 1 uses the "light year" 8.5 MPa high-pressure afterburning engine, with a maximum thrust of 65 tons, a working time of 73.9 seconds, and a ground specific impulse of 249.5 seconds. This technological breakthrough makes the rocket have a higher carrying capacity.
The control system of Ceres I rocket adopts innovative designs such as overall/structural/dynamic integration design, simple control of rolling channel for minimum propellant consumption, distributed orbit and attitude control power system, 3D printed orbit and attitude control engine, vertical self-aligning, etc. This innovative technology enables the rocket to control flight path and attitude more accurately,The reliability and success rate of the launch are improved.[37]
Overall evaluation
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Ceres 1 carrier rocket has high reliability and success rate.
In general, Ceres I is a small commercial launch vehicle with high delivery capacity and launch success rate, which is of great significance to meet the launch requirements of micro satellites.
The Ceres 1 carrier rocket was launched remotely
Product Events
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On October 23, 2023, Xinghe Power Aerospace Co., Ltd. organized and held a review meeting on returning to zero for the flight failure of the Ceres 1 (Yao 11) carrier rocket.According to the published reasons for the failure, the flight failure of the Ceres 1 (Yao 11) carrier rocket was located in the abnormal ablation of the nozzle expansion section of the primary engine.In the process of machining the screw holes in the nozzle expansion section assembly, improper operation led to internal defects in the carbon cloth layer, resulting in abnormal ablation of the expansion section, which led to the instability of the primary flight attitude.[48]
