In a significant yet challenging milestone for China’s space industry, a commercial solid rocket launch failed late Thursday. Despite this, the event marked China’s 68th launch of 2024, setting a new national record for the most launches in a calendar year.
The Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) solid rocket, operated by CAS Space, launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Although the first two stages of the rocket functioned as planned, an issue arose during stage three, leading to an activation of the self-destruct mechanism. CAS Space has confirmed this failure and is currently investigating the cause of the anomaly.
This failed attempt included the deployment of several satellites, like the CASAA-Sat from the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory and DEAR-3 from AZSpace. These payloads aimed to contribute to scientific studies, despite the unsuccessful mission. Notably, this marked the first failure of the Kinetica-1 rocket, following five successful launches, with the last occurring in November.
Planning for the future, CAS Space intends to launch a new rocket model, the kerosene-liquid oxygen Kinetica-2, in the latter half of 2025. This mission aims to deliver the Qingzhou low-cost cargo spacecraft into orbit, indicating a continued focus on developing and expanding China’s space capabilities.
China’s launch activities in 2024 placed it second globally, following the United States’ over 150 launches, primarily driven by SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Russia’s launch numbers continue to decline, contributing only 17 launches this year. Despite setting a new record, China did not meet the ambitious forecast of 100 launches for the year, originally predicted by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The year saw various complicated challenges, including limited access to launch facilities and reliance on older and smaller rockets. However, nearly half of all Chinese launches utilized the Long March series, and light-lift solid rockets accounted for a significant portion of this year’s activities.
Throughout 2024, China’s launches included the debut of new rockets such as the commercial Gravity-1 and the enhanced methalox Zhuque-2E. The Long March 6C and 12 from CASC’s Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology also made their first flights.
Furthermore, China launched a national record of over 260 spacecraft in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 221 in 2023. This surge was partly due to the Qianfan and Guowang megaconstellation projects, anticipated to further boost China’s space endeavors in the coming years.
Despite the setback with the Kinetica-1 failure, China’s achievements in 2024 reflect significant progress in its space exploration and launching capabilities. The country’s focus on increasing its launch numbers and advancing technology remains strong, setting the stage for further developments in the coming years.
Source: Spacenews
