Posted: Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 8:01 AM ET (1301 GMT)
China conducted its fourth launch in three days on Thursday. A Ceres-1S rocket, operated by Galactic Energy, lifted off at 3:10 pm EST (2010 GMT) from a converted sea platform off the coast from Shandong province. The rocket placed into orbit four satellites for the Tianqi internet-of-things constellation. The mission marks a return-to-flight for the Ceres-1 small launcher following a launch failure in November 2025 stemming from an anomaly affecting the fourth stage.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Xinhua article