China's Kinetica 1-Y7 rocket deploys 6 satellites in space

The Kinetica 1-Y7 rocket lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert, May 21, 2025. (Photo by Zhao Lei/chinadaily.com.cn)

CAS Space, a Beijing-based rocket maker owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, launched a Kinetica 1 carrier rocket on Wednesday afternoon, successfully placing six satellites in their orbit.

The Kinetica 1-Y7 rocket lifted off at 12:05 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert, and deployed three remote-sensing satellites, a radar satellite, a mini weather satellite, and an experimental satellite in space, the company said in a news release.

These satellites will be used to gather data and images for urban construction planning, environmental monitoring, weather forecast and other civilian purposes.

The "Y7" in the designation code signifies that it was the seventh in the rocket series. The launch marked the 31st space mission in China this year.

The Kinetica 1 type conducted its debut flight at the Jiuquan center in July 2022, making it the country's largest and most powerful solid-propellant rocket at the time. To date, it has carried out seven launches and deployed 63 satellites in space.

Formerly known as ZK 1A, the rocket model has a length of 30 meters, diameter of 2.65 meters, and a liftoff weight of 135 metric tons. It is capable of deploying satellites with a combined weight of 1.5 tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth.

CAS Space has begun developing a new rocket, Kinetica 2, and plans to conduct its maiden flight in 2025.