China’s Kuaizhou 11 rocket launches experimental cargo ship, satellite PHOTO / VIDEO

China has successfully launched a Kuaizhou 11 carrier rocket carrying a privately developed experimental cargo ship and a satellite into space, officials said.

According to Chinese media, the rocket lifted off at 09:08 Beijing Time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the country’s northwest and placed the DEAR 5 ship and the Xiwang 5B satellite into their predetermined orbits, according to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, a state-owned space contractor.

The DEAR 5, developed by Beijing-based private spacecraft firm AZSpace, is the second in the company’s B300-L family. The robotic cargo ship, which consists of a service cabin and a payload capsule, offers 1.8 cubic metres of space for up to 300 kilograms of experimental equipment.

AZSpace said the spacecraft’s name stands for “Discovery, Exploration, Advance and Reentry” and will fly at an altitude of 343 kilometres. On board are 34 sets of experimental devices from research institutes, universities and enterprises. These will be used to study microgravity physics, life sciences, material science, medical sciences, and other new space technologies.

Zhang Xiaomin, chairman of AZSpace, said: “An increasing number of research institutions and enterprises are looking to conduct scientific research in space. Our spacecraft is capable of meeting these needs. It aims to serve as a space laboratory for scientists, an orbital factory for entrepreneurs, and a delivery courier for the space station.”

The DEAR 5 also includes “mini space labs” that can be used for both experimental and educational purposes, the company added.

The Kuaizhou 11 rocket itself is 25 metres tall, 2.2 metres in diameter, and has a liftoff weight of 78 tonnes. It can carry up to one tonne into a sun-synchronous orbit at 700 kilometres or 1.5 tonnes into a standard low-Earth orbit.

By Aghakazim Guliyev