Rizhao, Shandong Province, January 16, 2026 – China achieved another milestone in its growing commercial space sector on Friday morning when a CERES-1 Y7 carrier rocket blasted off from a mobile sea platform in the waters near the eastern coastal province of Shandong. The launch, conducted at 4:10 a.m. Beijing Time (2010 GMT Thursday), successfully placed a group of satellites into their planned low-Earth orbit, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency and reports from the rocket developer Galactic Energy.
The mission, overseen by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC)—one of China's key state-operated space facilities—marked the first sea-based orbital launch of the new year and the sixth successful maritime flight for the CERES-1 series. This offshore approach, utilizing a floating platform in the Yellow Sea off the coast near Rizhao, allows for greater flexibility in orbital inclinations, reduces risks associated with land-based debris fallout, and supports high-frequency commercial operations.
The payload consisted of four satellites belonging to the Tianqi constellation (also known as Tiange or "Apocalypse Constellation"), developed and operated by Beijing-based private satellite firm Guodian Gaoke (GuoDian GaoKe Technology). These newest additions—part of the sixth group in the network—serve an augmentation role, enhancing the constellation's capabilities following the completion of its first phase in May 2025. With this deployment, the Tianqi network now comprises approximately 41 satellites in orbit, achieving near-global coverage.
The Tianqi constellation is a low-Earth orbit (LEO) narrow-band Internet of Things (IoT) system designed to provide reliable data collection and transmission services in areas with limited or no terrestrial network coverage. The satellites enable applications across diverse sectors, including smart cities for urban monitoring, marine and environmental protection for real-time ocean and ecosystem data, meteorological and forestry observations, geological surveys, emergency communications and rescue operations, intelligent tourism, power generation monitoring, and agriculture. By filling technological gaps in China's low-orbit IoT capabilities, Tianqi supports strategic goals to expand global data network coverage and bolster industrial upgrades in the IoT sector.
The constellation has been progressively built with a focus on short revisit times for efficient real-time data relay. Earlier expansions, such as the deployment of four satellites in May 2025, reduced revisit intervals to as little as five minutes—a 37.5 percent improvement in operational efficiency. The latest satellites continue this progression, strengthening the network's reliability for both industrial and emerging consumer markets, including potential integration with smartphones, smart vehicles, and wearable devices in future phases.
The CERES-1 rocket, developed by Beijing-based private aerospace company Galactic Energy (also known as Xinghe Dongli or Galaxy Power), is a four-stage small-lift vehicle. The first three stages use solid propellant (hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene), while the fourth stage employs a hydrazine liquid propulsion system. Standing approximately 20 meters tall with a 1.4-meter diameter and a liftoff mass of about 33 tons, the rocket can deliver up to 400 kg to low-Earth orbit or 300 kg to a 500-km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). It is optimized for launching small satellites and constellations, offering cost-effective, rapid-response capabilities.
Friday's mission represented the 23rd successful flight for the CERES-1 series overall, underscoring its reliability. Galactic Energy has achieved a perfect 100 percent success rate across its six sea-based missions since the variant's debut in September 2023, when it first launched four Tianqi satellites (Tianqi 21-24) from a similar platform off Haiyang, Shandong. The sea-launched version, designated CERES-1S, has proven particularly valuable for missions requiring specific inclinations or to avoid overflying populated areas.
This launch highlights the rapid maturation of China's commercial space industry, where private firms like Galactic Energy complement state-led programs. Galactic Energy, founded in 2018 by alumni of state institutions such as the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), has completed multiple orbital missions with CERES-1, deploying dozens of commercial satellites. The company is also advancing larger projects, including the development of liquid-propellant rockets like Pallas-1 and Ceres-2.
Sea launches have become an increasingly important part of China's space strategy. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center oversees the DongFang Spaceport (Eastern Aerospace Port) in Haiyang, Yantai, which serves as the home base for maritime operations in China's exclusive economic zone or coastal waters. Since the first sea launch from the Yellow Sea in 2019 (using a Long March 11), China has conducted numerous offshore missions with various rockets, including CERES-1, demonstrating technological maturity and adaptability.
The successful deployment of these Tianqi satellites advances China's ambitions in satellite-based connectivity, mirroring global efforts like SpaceX's Starlink but tailored to national priorities in IoT, emergency response, and environmental monitoring. As private enterprises continue to innovate, such launches contribute to China's goal of becoming a leading space power through diversified, high-frequency access to orbit.
With ongoing expansions planned for constellations like Tianqi, and emerging projects for reusable offshore recovery bases (as announced by firms like SEPOCH in late 2025), China's commercial space sector is poised for further growth in 2026 and beyond.
