SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Gravity 1 Launch Vehicle Flight History by Ed Kyle Last Update: January 11, 2024 by Variant/Year (2020-2023) Page 1 of 1: L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) Gravity-1 Grand Total Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2020 - - - - - 2021 - - - - - 2022 - - - - - 2023 - - - - - 2024 1(0) - - - 1(0) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Gravity-1 Grand Total L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Suborb - - - - - Orbit 1(0) - - - 1(0) Total 1(0) - - - 1(0) ------------------------------------------------------------------ SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Gravity 1 by Ed Kyle Last Update: January 11, 2024 Gravity-1 Vehicle Configurations ================================================================== LEO SSO Configuration Liftoff Liftoff Payload Payload Height Mass (tonnes) (tonnes) (meters) (tonnes) ================================================================== Gravity-1 6.5 t 4.2 t 4 stages 31.3 m 405 t ================================================================== KZ-1(A) Vehicle Components ================================================================== Stg 1 Stg 2 Stg 3 Stg 4 Payload Fairing ================================================================== Diameter (m) 4x2.65 m 2.65 m 2.65 m 2.65 m 3.8/4.2 m Length (m) 10 m 10 m Mp (tonnes) GLOW (tonnes) Engine 4xM1 M1 M2 M3+ACS Fuel Solid Solid Solid Solid Oxidizer Thrust (SL tonnes) 600 t Thrust (Vac tonnes) 255 t ISP (SL sec) ISP (Vac sec) Tburn (sec) ================================================================== GRAVITY-1 ORBITAL SPACE LAUNCH LOG ------------------------------------------------------------------ DATE VEHICLE ID PAYLOAD MASS(t) SITE* ORBIT* ================================================================== 01/11/24 Gravity-1 Y1 Yunyao 18-20 YL LEO ================================================================== [Gravity-1 Y1] 0530 UTC. 479x498 km x 49.98 deg. Inaugural launch of four-stage solid rocket vehicle capable of 6.5 tonnes LEO. Stg 1 = four solids. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Site Code: JQ = Jiuquan, China YL = Yellow Sea Platform, China Orbit Code: EEO/M = Molynia (12-hr) Elliptical Earth Orbit FTO = Failed to Orbit FSO = Failed Suborbital GTO = Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit GTO+ = Supersynchronous or High Perigee Transfer Orbit GTO- = Subsynchronous Transfer Orbit GTOi = Inclined GTO GEO = Geosynchronous Orbit HCO = Heliocentric (solar) Orbit HTO = High Earth Transfer Orbit LEO = Low Earth Orbit SSO = Sun Synchronous Low Earth Orbit PEO = Polar Low Earth Orbit MEO = Medium Earth Orbit MTO = Medium Earth Transfer Orbit SUB = Suborbital Gravity-1 January 11, 2024 saw launch of China's first "Gravity-1", a brutish, 405 tonne, all-solid four-stage vehicle that used four 2.65 meter diameter solids firing in parallel as a first stage surrounding a 2.65 meter diameter core vehicle that served as stages two through four. It rose on at least 600 tonnes (1.323 million lbf) of thrust, pummeling the ship that served as its launch platform. The vehicle successfully reach a 479 x 498 km x 49.98 deg orbit, where it deployed three Yunyao Earth observation satellites. The second stage is the same size as the four first stage motors, but is fitted with a vacuum optimized nozzle. The third stage is essentially a shortened version of the Stage 1/2 motor. Stage 4 is a smaller diameter solid motor set within a tapered frame that serves as the base of the payload fairing. It has a set of attitude control system motors for flight control. References Xinhua News Reports