China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches satellites from sea

HAIYANG, Shandong, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) rocket lifted off on Monday in east China's Shandong Province, sending the satellite group CentiSpace 01 into the planned orbit.

The rocket blasted off at 11 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the sea near the city of Haiyang. Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted the offshore launch mission.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the SD-3 rocket has a total length of 31 meters and a weight of 140 tonnes.

Liu Wei, deputy chief designer of the SD-3 rocket, noted that this was the first low-inclination orbit launch from Haiyang offshore waters.

"Selecting such a location for the launch not only ensures safety but also reduces maritime navigation expenses, shortens technical preparation time and enhances the economic efficiency of the mission," Liu said.

He added that the sea launch verified the rocket's capability to adapt to the hard maritime environment and strong winds during winter.

Onboard payloads include a group of 10 CentiSpace 01 satellites, which will be used for space environment data acquisition and intersatellite laser networking tests.

The launch also featured the rocket's heaviest payload to date, with a carrying capacity of 1,600 kg.

SD-3 is a member of China's Dragon rocket family. It made its maiden flight in 2022 from a ship in the Yellow Sea.

Unlike the Long March rockets, the country's backbone launch vehicles, the Dragon series has been developed specifically to meet the growing market demand for launching low-orbit small commercial satellites and satellite networks.

Monday's mission is China's first sea-based rocket launch in 2025.

Haiyang has witnessed 15 sea launch missions since 2019, which sent 89 satellites into space.