China Sends Experimental Robotic Spaceship into Orbit

2026-03-31 05:52:43

(MENAFN) China successfully propelled an experimental robotic spacecraft and two satellites into orbit on Monday, marking a watershed moment in the country's commercial space ambitions.

The mission lifted off aboard Kinetica-2 — a 53-meter-tall (173-foot) liquid-fuel carrier rocket developed by CAS Space, a commercial launch provider majority-owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences — from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center nestled in the Gobi Desert in northwestern China, a state-run news agency reported.

The rocket successfully delivered three payloads to their designated orbital positions: the New March 02 experimental cargo spaceship, the New March 01 technology demonstration satellite, and the TS 01 educational satellite.

The mission represented the 12th orbital launch carried out by the Beijing-headquartered company — and etched its name in history as the first time a commercial rocket has been integrated into China's crewed space program.

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