Private players make their mark with space missions(5)

In September, Galactic Energy became the first Chinese private company to carry out a sea-based launch mission.

The seaborne variant of its Ceres 1 rocket lifted off from a mobile launch platform — the deck of a modified barge — in the Yellow Sea off the eastern province of Shandong. It sent four satellites into orbit about 800 km above Earth.

The Ceres 1 is the third Chinese rocket model, and the first made by the private sector, capable of lifting off from land and sea.

Xia Dongkun, a vice-president at Galactic Energy, said a sea-based launch gives the company an alternative to the nation's land-based launch facilities that are busy handling government-backed programs.

"This enables us to make more launches each year," Xia said.

To date, Galactic Energy has carried out 11 Ceres 1 launches, far outperforming other private competitors. Last year, it made seven launches — six of them successful.