China places six satellites in orbit with latest Kinetica 1 mission

The rocket lifted off at 12:05 pm local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Onboard were three remote-sensing satellites, one radar satellite, a mini weather satellite, and an experimental satellite. CAS Space stated the payloads are intended for urban planning, environmental monitoring, meteorological observation, and other civilian applications.

The Y7 designation denotes the seventh launch in the Kinetica 1 series. With this mission, China has conducted 31 spaceflights so far in 2025.

Debuting in July 2022 at the same site, the Kinetica 1 remains China's largest and most capable solid-fueled rocket. Standing 30 meters tall and 2.65 meters in diameter, it weighs 135 metric tons at launch and can deliver up to 1.5 tons of payload to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The rocket, previously named ZK 1A, has completed seven launches and placed 63 satellites in orbit to date.

CAS Space is currently developing the next-generation Kinetica 2 rocket, which is expected to fly for the first time later in 2025.