AI TRENDS | Galactic Energy's Pallas-1 Rocket Completes Maiden Flight

Galactic Energy's Pallas-1 Yao-1 carrier rocket lifted off at 10:00 a.m. from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone and successfully placed its payload into the planned orbit, marking a successful maiden flight, according to ETNet. The medium liquid-fueled rocket was independently developed by Galactic Energy and is a two-stage design measuring 52 meters in length, with a core diameter of 3.35 meters, a takeoff mass of about 283 tonnes and takeoff thrust of 350 tonnes. It has a low-Earth-orbit payload capacity of 7 tonnes and is aimed at large constellations of low-orbit satellite internet and large remote-sensing satellites. ETNet reported that the launch also helped Galactic Energy meet a key listing requirement for the STAR Market, and made it the third private Chinese company to cross the threshold for launching a reusable medium-to-large rocket into orbit.