China's record-breaking Gravity-1 rocket launches 9 satellites from a ship at sea (video)
The world's most powerful solid-fuel rocket just aced its third-ever mission. Gravity-1, a distinctively squat and stubby rocket , launched Tuesday night (July 21) from the deck of a ship stationed off the coast of Shanghai. Liftoff occurred at 10:54 p.m. EDT (0254 GMT and 10:54 a.m. Beijing time on July 22), according to the state-run Chinese outlet Xinhua, which further reported that all nine satellites reached "their designated orbits." Details about those satellites were not provided. Orienspace's Gravity-1 rocket launches nine satellites to orbit from a ship at sea on July 21, 2026. (Image credit: CCTV) Gravity-1 is operated by Orienspace, a company based in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong. The rocket stands about 100 feet (30 meters) tall — less than half the height of SpaceX 's workhorse Falcon 9 vehicle. Gravity-1 consists of three core stages and four st...