China's Lijian-1 Y6 carrier rocket completes final assembly test

China's Lijian-1 Y6 carrier rocket has completed its final assembly test as scheduled in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, according to the rocket's developer CAS Space.

Having also passed the factory review, the carrier rocket transporting 11 satellites will be launched in late December this year.

The rocket used a self-developed initiator for the first time during the test, along with other products that effectively reduced operating costs and shortened the production cycle, said CAS Space. These products are more suitable for mass production of rockets and the regular operation of launch services.

A 3.35-meter diameter fairing fitted to the rocket was riveted, closed, sprayed and delivered during final assembly.

As the main rockets used in China's commercial space industry, the Lijian-1 series offers a high success rate, considerable reliability and cost-effective performance. This rocket series has now launched a total of 57 satellites in the course of five flight missions.

CAS Space is a commercial spaceflight company established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China's commercial space sector is experiencing rapid growth. In 2023, China conducted 67 rocket launches – 13 of which were private commercial rocket missions, with 12 of these sending rockets into orbit successfully.

Notably, the Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023 listed the commercial space industry as a strategic emerging industry, and the term was also applied to this industry in the 2024 government work report delivered at this year's Two Sessions, which are the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body.

(Cover: China's Lijian-1 Y5 carrier rocket blasts off with 15 satellites in Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, northwest China, November 11, 2024. /CFP)