Gravity-1 (Chinese: 引力一号) is a solid-propellant expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed, manufactured and launched by Chinese aerospace company Orienspace. It can carry a payload of up to 6.5 tonnes (14,000 lb) to LEO or 4.2 tonnes (9,300 lb) to SSO, enabling the deployment of large-scale satellite constellations. The rocket has a height of 30 meters, a take-off weight of 400 tonnes, a take-off thrust of 600 tonnes,[1] and a fairing diameter of 4.2 meters.[2] Its maiden launch was conducted from a sea launch platform in the Yellow Sea on January 11, 2024, breaking records as both the world's most powerful solid-fuel carrier rocket and China's most powerful commercial launch vehicle to date.[3] Large pieces of debris were seen during the launch, which carried 3 Yunyao-1 meteorological satellites built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, as part of the planned 90-satellite Yunyao constellation.[3][2]
Gravity-1 consists of seven solid rocket motors (SRB) in total. The first four side-mounted SRBs are ignited on the ground, while three core boosters are air-lit in sequence. The launch cost for Gravity-1 is no higher than US$39 million. Gravity-1 offers a quick-response-time of only five hours between manufacturing completion and launch. Orienspace has signed contracts for the launch of more than one hundred satellites.[4]
- ^ Mansfield, Simon (2024-01-12). "China's Gravity 1 sets record for solid rocket fuels in maiden launch". Space Daily. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ a b Sesnic, Trevor (2024-01-09). "Maiden Flight | Gravity-1". Everyday Astronaut. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ a b Jones, Andrew (11 January 2024). "Orienspace breaks Chinese commercial launch records with Gravity-1 solid rocket". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ Gravity-1 rocket explained. Retrieved 2024-04-07 – via www.youtube.com.