The Lijian-1 Y5 commercial carrier rocket, launched on Monday with 15 satellites onboard, features a 3.35-meter diameter fairing designed to enhance the rocket's capability to carry more satellites in the future.
The rocket blasted off at 12:03 (Beijing Time) from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China, successfully sending the 15 satellites—including the Jilin-1 Gaofen series, Yunyao-1 series, Xiguang-1 series, and a remote-sensing satellite for Oman—into their planned orbits. To meet this mission's requirement for a larger fairing—the protective cover for the satellites—the engineering team used a fairing with a 3.35-meter diameter to accommodate a larger payload or more satellites.
"This 3.35-meter diameter fairing provides the necessary space for additional satellites, and we've also taken other measures to optimize the carrying capacity of the Lijian-1 Y5 rocket. This will help enhance the carrying capacity of our rocket for future satellite launches," said Shi Xiaoning, chief designer of the Lijian-1 Y5 rocket from CAS Space.
This rocket's maximum diameter is 2.65 meters, which narrows down to two meters at the third-stage engine, so the rocket looks as if having "a big head". Although the larger fairing impacts the rocket's flight performance, the team has conducted extensive experiments to ensure the rocket's reliability and flight feasibility.
"We've conducted various ground tests, including aerodynamic wind tunnel tests and noise tests for the noise generated by the large fairing at transonic speeds. Based on these results, we also made additional analyses and tests on individual components," said the chief designer.
Lijian-1 Y5 rocket launches 15 satellites with enhanced fairing for future missions
Nanjing City in east China's Jiangsu Province has seen a surge in housing listings after easing commodity housing restrictions on Monday, as part of broader efforts to revitalize the local property market.
Under the revised rule, commodity housing units can be listed for sale immediately after the owner obtains a real estate registration certificate. As a result, homeowners have rushed to put their properties on the market.
A local real estate agency has noted a surge in property listings entering the system. Though information such as price, area, and location is available currently, photos of housing details have yet to be taken and uploaded.
"Basically, there are relatively more listings in districts like Jiangning, Qixia, and Pukou, while the number of listings in the downtown area is comparatively lower. Taxes and fees still apply; it's just that sales restrictions have been lifted," said Ye Xiaochao, a staff member from a housing agency in Nanjing City.
According to data from a local real estate agency, the city saw 3,114 new listings on Monday, compared to the usual daily average of around 850.
Industry experts believe that in the long run, lifting sales restrictions will enhance market liquidity and activity, contributing to more stable housing price expectations. At the same time, Nanjing has announced an expanded scope for housing provident funds, allowing eligible parents and children of homebuyers to apply their accounts toward financing a property purchase.
This expanded policy for withdrawing housing provident funds to cover a home's down payment now includes the buyer's parents and children, extending eligibility beyond just the homebuyer and spouse.
When purchasing a property, priority is given to withdrawing funds from the accounts of the buyer and spouse. If the combined balances in both accounts are insufficient, the buyer's parents' or children's account balances can then be utilized.
Nanjing sees spike in home listings after easing restrictions
