At 10am on 1 September 2026, the company’s independently developed medium-to-large reusable liquid-fuelled launch vehicle, the Zhishenxing-1 (YY1), was successfully launched from the Zhishenxing series dedicated launch site in the Jiuquan Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone.
The rocket reportedly successfully entered its predetermined orbit according to the program; its maiden flight marks Galactic Energy’s official entry into a new development stage of combining solid and liquid propellants, driven by a dual-engine approach.
The Pallas-1 is one of Galactic Energy’s core models for the large-scale satellite constellation deployment and launch market. This two-stage rocket (with an optional upper stage) is 52 metres long, with a core stage diameter of 3.35 metres, a lift-off mass of approximately 283 tonnes, and a lift-off thrust of 350 tonnes. Its LEO payload capacity fully covers the mainstream payload requirements of 5–7 tonnes per launch for current low-Earth orbit constellations. Designed for at least 25 reuses, this rocket aims to provide commercial satellite customers with a high-efficiency, low-cost “space express”.
The core power unit is independently developed, marking the first seven-unit parallel configuration solution in China’s private sector.
The main propulsion system of the Zhishenxing-1 rocket is the CQ-50 needle-bolt reusable liquid oxygen/kerosene engine, independently developed by Galactic Energy. The first stage of the rocket employs a parallel configuration of seven CQ-50 engines. This design configuration not only meets the requirements for recovery and reuse, but also possesses significant fault redundancy – if one engine fails, the remaining six can still ensure the flight mission, greatly improving mission reliability. To meet the requirements for recovery and reuse, this engine has been tested to support a wide range of deep thrust variations from 32 per cent to 105 per cent and can be restarted multiple times.
Rocket characteristics:
- Independently developed needle-bolt type deep variable thrust liquid oxygen/kerosene engine, with over 23,000 seconds of cumulative testing.
- A seven-engine parallel redundant power system with integrated structural and power design.
- Integrated design of electrical systems reduces system complexity.
- A self-developed, mature, and reliable dual-component auxiliary propulsion system, validated through multiple flight tests.
- Innovative multidimensional aerodynamic load reduction technology improves transportation efficiency.
- The efficient and intensive three-level test and launch operation mode is suitable for high-frequency launches.
- It can be equipped with the Eros II upper stage, which provides more flexible mission adaptability.
According to the plan, the recovery and reuse of the Ceres-1 satellite will be carried out through a steady and pragmatic approach:
- The first step is to verify the baseline for the maiden flight, complete the orbit insertion, and comprehensively acquire all flight data of the rocket and verify the overall dynamic control baseline capability.
- The second step is to gradually activate the first-stage re-entry control, grid rudder operation, braking deceleration, and sea/land fixed-point recovery verification in subsequent flight missions and achieve complete vertical landing and recovery of the first stage.
- The third step is to move towards high-frequency reuse and large-scale commercialisation, optimise the reuse and maintenance process, reduce reuse costs, and increase reuse turnover.
This launch marks the first use of Galactic Energy’s self-built launch pad (Phase I) for the “Panasonic” series rockets. As the dedicated launch pad for the “Panasonic” series liquid-propellant launch vehicles, it fully supports the entire process of rocket testing, fuelling, and launch. It also signifies the completion of a closed-loop system and capabilities across Galactic Energy’s entire supply chain, from research and development to production, testing, and launch, laying a solid foundation for accelerating future delivery capabilities.
Galactic Energy extends its highest respect to the China National Space Administration, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and all levels of government and party organisations; our sincere gratitude to all shareholders, customers, suppliers, insurance companies, media, and friends from all walks of life; and our heartfelt thanks to every member of the Galactic family and their families.
In the future, as the low-Earth orbit constellation network enters its peak period, Galactic Energy will continue to improve its full-spectrum launch vehicle capacity layout covering 300 kilograms to 58 tonnes.
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