A Chinese-produced solid-fueled carrier rocket, the Kuaizhou-11, developed by China Aerospace¹ Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), will see its maiden² launch this year, reports Xinhua.

 

新华社消息，由中国航天科工集团研发的使用国产固体燃料的运载火箭快舟11号将于今年开始首飞。

 

The rocket will be mainly responsible for launching low-Earth and Sun-synchronous satellites.

 

Costs of launching the Kuaizhou-11 will be less than 10,000 U.S. dollars per kg of payload, which is considerably³ lower than that of its international competitors.

 

"Compared with common carrier rockets, the Kuaizhou-11 has a short preparation period," said Hu Shengyun, an official with CASIC and deputy to the National People's Congress.

 

In January, 2017, the Kuaizhou-1A rocket sent three satellites into space in its first commercial mission with a launch cost of less than 20,000 U.S. dollars.

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