| Imsize | 200 |
|---|---|
| Function | expendable medium-lift launch vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Orienspace |
| Height | 29.4 metres (96 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) |
| Mass | 405 tonnes (893,000 lb)[1] |
| Stages | 3 |
| Status | Active |
| Sites | China Dongfang Spacecraft Launch Port |
| Launches | 2 |
| Success | 2 |
| Fail | 0 |
| First | 11 January 2024 |
| Location | SSO (500km) |
|---|---|
| Kilos | 4,200 kg (9,300 lb)[1] |
| Location | LEO (200km) |
|---|---|
| Kilos | 6,500 kg (14,300 lb)[1] |
Gravity-1 (Chinese: 引力一号 or YinLi-1) is a solid-propellant expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed, manufactured and launched by Chinese aerospace company Orienspace. It can carry a payload of up to 6.5 tonnes (14,000 lb) to LEO or 4.2 tonnes (9,300 lb) to SSO, enabling the deployment of large-scale satellite constellations. The rocket has a height of 30 meters, a take-off weight of 400 tonnes, a take-off thrust of 600 tonnes,[2] and a fairing diameter of 4.2 meters.[3] Its maiden launch was conducted from a sea launch platform in the Yellow Sea on January 11, 2024, breaking records as both the world's most powerful solid-fuel carrier rocket and China's most powerful commercial launch vehicle to date.[4] Large pieces of debris were seen during the launch, which carried 3 Yunyao-1 meteorological satellites built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, as part of the planned 90-satellite Yunyao constellation.[4][3]
Gravity-1 consists of seven solid rocket motors (SRB) in total. The first four side-mounted SRBs are ignited on the ground, while three core boosters are air-lit in sequence. The launch cost for Gravity-1 is around US$39 million. Gravity-1 has a quick-response-time of only five hours between manufacturing completion and launch. Orienspace has signed contracts for the launch of more than one hundred satellites.[5] Gravity-1 is the most powerful rocket consisting of entirely solid-rocket motors.[6] Due to the huge solid rocket motors, large plumes of smoke were produced during the launch.
List of launches
| Serial number | Flight number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gravity-1 Y1 | 11 January 2024 05:30 UTC | Special converted barge (Dong Fang Hang Tian Gang) Offshore waters of Haiyang Port | Yunyao-1 18–20 weather satellites | LEO (50° inclination, 500km circular) | [4] |
| 2 | Gravity-1 Y2 | 11 October 2025 02:20 UTC | Special converted barge (Dong Fang Hang Tian Gang) Offshore waters of Haiyang Port | Jilin-1 Kuanfu-02B-07 Shutianyuxing 01 Shutianyuxing 02 | SSO | [4] |
| 3 | Gravity-1 Y3 | 2025 | Special converted barge (Dong Fang Hang Tian Gang) Offshore waters of Haiyang Port | TBA | LEO | [4] |
References
- ^ 东方空间 (2024-01-11). "引力一号海上首飞成功！ 创全球最大固体运载火箭纪录！". 微信公众号. Archived 2024-01-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ Mansfield, Simon (2024-01-12). "China's Gravity 1 sets record for solid rocket fuels in maiden launch". Space Daily. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ Sesnic, Trevor (2024-01-09). "Maiden Flight | Gravity-1". Everyday Astronaut. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (11 January 2024). "Orienspace breaks Chinese commercial launch records with Gravity-1 solid rocket". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ Gravity-1 rocket explained. Retrieved 2024-04-07. – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Mike Wall (2024-01-11). "China's record-breaking Gravity-1 rocket aces amazing debut launch from ship at sea (video)". Space. Retrieved 2025-10-03.