Beijing— A launch mission by Chinese private space company Galactic Energy ended in failure on Monday after its Ceres-1 rocket was unable to place its payload into orbit.
The rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 12:02 p.m. local time (0402 GMT) but experienced an unexpected shutdown during its fourth-stage flight, the company said in a statement. As a result, the mission could not achieve orbital insertion.
Galactic Energy confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the malfunction. The company did not disclose details about the nature of the payload or whether it sustained any damage during the incident.
Ceres-1 is a small-lift launch vehicle designed for commercial satellite missions, and Galactic Energy has previously completed multiple successful flights since its debut in 2020. Monday’s failure marks a setback for China’s growing private space sector, which has been competing to expand its role in the country’s ambitious space exploration goals.
