Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches CentiSpace 01

A Smart Dragon-3 (Jielong-3) rocket lifted off in east China's Shandong Province, sending the satellite group CentiSpace 01 into the planned orbit.
The rocket blasted off at 11:00 (Beijing Time) from the sea near the city of Haiyang. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted the offshore launch mission.
The mission marks the fifth launch of the Smart Dragon-3 rocket.
The Smart Dragon-3 is a four-stage solid-propellant carrier rocket designed primarily for commercial space launch missions. It can be launched both at sea and on land.
To guarantee a successful launch, scientists have improved the rocket to increase its carrying capacity from 1,560 kg to 1,600 kg and add features to maintain optimal temperatures.
"The rocket's fairing is equipped with a thermal shell, much like our down jackets. We have added hot air blowers throughout the entire launch environment to ensure that the rocket maintains a suitable temperature environment throughout the launch process," said Gao Lijun from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The rocket will undergo further improvements for different missions in the future to continuously enhance its economic efficiency and adaptability, said Gao.
"In the future, the Smart Dragon-3 rocket will undergo further improvements and upgrades to reduce the cost for the commercial launches and increase its carrying capacity. We estimate that after the improvements, its carrying capacity will rise from 1.5 tons to about 2 tons," he said.