First flight of the new solid fuel powered rocket developed by CAST. Payload consists of 14 satellites: * Jilin-1 HR-03D 44-50 * Jilin-1 PT-01A 01 * Tianqi-7 * HEAD-2H * CAS-5A * Golden Bauhinia 1-05 & 06 * Huoju-1
Smart Dragon-3 is a solid fuel orbital rocket designed by a subsidiary of the state-owned CASC group built for the commercial market.
China Rocket Co. Ltd. is a spinoff of China’s state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer using a “commercial business model”.
China launched its new Jielong-3 rocket from a mobile sea platform in the Yellow Sea Friday, successfully sending 14 satellites into orbit.