On November 11, 2024, China successfully launched its Lijian-1 Y5 commercial carrier rocket, deploying 15 satellites into orbit from a launch site in the northwest region of the country at 12:03 local time.
The payload included satellites from the Jilin-1 Gaofen, Yunyao-1, and Xiguang-1 series, as well as a remote sensing satellite for Oman. The Jilin-1 satellites are known for their high-resolution imaging capabilities, useful in disaster relief, resource exploration, and environmental monitoring.
The Yunyao satellites focus on agricultural land monitoring and meteorological observations, collecting atmospheric data such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and density.
Developed by CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company associated with the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Lijian-1 rocket measures 30 meters in length and has a launch weight of 135 tons. It is capable of delivering approximately 2 tons of payload to low Earth orbit and 1.5 tons to a 500 km orbit.
This launch marked the fifth mission for the Lijian-1 series, which has successfully deployed a total of 57 satellites since its inaugural flight in July 2022. The previous launch occurred on September 25, 2024, when five satellites were sent into space.