On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, China successfully launched an optical remote sensing satellite from a low-cost small, solid-fuel carrier rocket named Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A).
The satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
The Jilin-1 Gaofen 02F satellite was launched by a Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) carrier rocket at 2:19 p.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit. This is an optical remote sensing satellite that can provide high-resolution images and high-speed data transmission.
Kuaizhou-1A, Chinese for ‘fast ship‘, is a low-cost, small, solid-fuel carrier rocket requires only a short preparation period. Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the rocket is designed to launch smallsats weighing under 300 kg, the report said.
Since the first commercial mission in 2017, KZ-1A rockets have sent 21 satellites into space.