The Chinese private company Orienspace carried out the first launch of the Gravity-1 rocket from an offshore platform

The Chinese private company Orienspace has performed the first launch of an all-solid-fuel medium-class launch vehicle Gravity-1 from an offshore platform, writes Reuters.

Gravity-1 is the world’s largest all-solid rocket and the largest Chinese private rocket. The launch vehicle is capable of placing payloads weighing up to 6,500 kg, including constellations of up to 30 satellites, into low Earth orbit in a single launch. According to Orienspace, preparations for the launch take no more than 7 days, and in emergency circumstances can be completed in 24 hours.

Orienspace began developing Gravity-1 and the sea launch platform for it only 4 years ago, in 2020, with a total investment of $150 million. As a reminder, the Sea Launch floating spaceport, which Ukraine once operated, has been rusting in the Russian port of Slavianka near Vladivostok since 2020.