China's commercial rocket CERES-1 Y6 launches 2 satellites

JIUQUAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday launched the CERES-1 Y6 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The commercial rocket blasted off at 1:07 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the launch site, sending two commercial satellites, Qiankun-1 and Xingshidai-16, into the planned orbit.

Developed by the Beijing-based high-tech company Galactic Energy, the CERES-1 is a small-scale solid-propellant carrier rocket capable of sending micro-satellites into orbit.

The launch was the sixth flight mission of the CERES-1 rocket series.