China's commercial rocket launches first international satellite

China's Lijian-1 Y5 commercial carrier rocket, which was launched Monday, sent 15 satellites, including one for Oman, into their planned orbits, marking the country's first commercial launch of an international satellite.

The Lijian-1 carrier rocket is a medium-sized launch vehicle with solid-fuel rocket engines, designed for rapid deployment of small and medium satellites into low to medium Earth orbits.

It was developed by CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This rocket series completed its maiden flight on July 7, 2022, and has now launched a total of 57 satellites in the course of five flight missions, exceeding five tons of payload delivery.

Among the 15 satellites atop was Oman's remote-sensing satellite, marking China's first commercial launch for an international customer and underscoring the rocket's rising reputation in the global market.

"The cost of Lijian-1 carrier rocket is designed to be around 10,000 U.S. dollars per kilogram of payload. It's highly competitive globally in terms of reliability, cost, and mission adaptability," said Shi Xiaoning, chief designer of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket by CAS Space.

Successfully handling the launch of a foreign satellite demonstrates the Lijian-1's advanced technical capabilities. The timeline from Oman's confirmation of participation to launch took less than six months, showcasing the swift adaptability and responsiveness of the Lijian-1 technical team as they fine-tuned various technical parameters on short notice.

"Though it may appear to be a simple foreign satellite launch, this mission represents a significant technological accomplishment and underscores China's expanding international cooperation in space. Achieving success amid numerous challenges is truly a remarkable feat," said Yang Yuguang, chairman of the International Astronautical Federation's Space Transportation Committee.

Moving forward, plans are in place to expand the Lijian-1's capabilities with sea-based launches and missions targeting special orbital paths, enhancing its flexibility to better meet satellite users' diverse needs.

China's commercial rocket launches first international satellite

China and Russia are set to further strengthen subnational cooperation through two key subnational mechanisms, the Yangtze-Volga Local cooperation and the Northeast-Far East cooperation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Friday.

Lin made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing, highlighting the role of the cooperation mechanisms in boosting bilateral economic and cultural ties.

"Under the strategic guidance of the two head of states, China-Russia relations have been moving forward on a high level and subnational cooperation has been advancing with wider scope and higher quality. The Yangtze-Volga cooperation council and the China-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation and Development of Northeast China and the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia, as two major subnational cooperation mechanisms between China and Russia, since their establishment have been operating with high efficiency and played an important role in promoting economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges between relevant regions of China and Russia in a coordinated manner," Lin said.

"We believe that under the strategic guidance of the two head of states and with joint effort of both sides, subnational cooperation between China and Russia will continue to grow with vigor and vitality and inject more impetus to our effort of enriching the bilateral relationship, delivering more benefits to the two peoples and boosting our respective development and revitalization," said the spokesman.

China, Russia to enhance subnational ties through key cooperation platforms