Galactic Energy Rocket Launch Fails Ahead of Planned IPO
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A rocket launch by Chinese space firm Galactic Energy failed Monday, marking another setback for the company as it prepares for an initial public offering.
The company’s Ceres-1 carrier rocket malfunctioned during its final flight phase after lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, failing to deliver three satellites into their intended orbit. The payload included two optical remote sensing satellites and one university research satellite.
In a four-stage rocket, the first three stages provide the primary thrust to reach near-orbital altitude and velocity, while the fourth stage performs the final precision maneuvers for orbital insertion. The mission failed when the fourth stage shut down prematurely after 510 seconds of flight, Galactic Energy said in a statement. The company publicly apologized and pledged to investigate the cause of the failure and work on the rocket’s return to flight.
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- Galactic Energy's Ceres-1 rocket failed during its final flight phase, losing three satellites, amid IPO preparations.
- This is the company's second failure in just over two years, following 20 successful Ceres-1 launches and 85 commercial satellites deployed.
- The company recently raised 2.4 billion yuan and is developing new rockets, Ceres-2 and reusable Pallas-1, both nearing maiden flights.
- Galactic Energy
- Galactic Energy, a Chinese space firm preparing for an IPO, experienced a Ceres-1 rocket launch failure. This incident occurred when the fourth stage of the rocket prematurely shut down, preventing three satellites from reaching orbit. This is their second failure in over two years, but they boast a strong track record of 20 successful Ceres-1 launches. The company is actively developing new rockets, the Ceres-2 and Pallas-1.
- September 2023：
- A Ceres-1 rocket from Galactic Energy failed due to a manufacturing defect in its first-stage engine nozzle.
- November 2023 (75 days after the September failure)：
- Galactic Energy returned to flight following the failure in September 2023.
- September 2025：
- Galactic Energy completed a 2.4 billion yuan ($337 million) financing round, bringing total funds raised to over 5.3 billion yuan.
- Late October 2025：
- Galactic Energy initiated the process for an A-share IPO.
- Monday, November 11, 2025：
- Galactic Energy's Ceres-1 carrier rocket launch failed after a premature shutdown of the fourth stage during its final phase, failing to deliver three satellites into orbit.
- As of 2025：
- Ceres-2 and Pallas-1 rockets are in a critical phase ahead of their maiden flights.
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