Jielong-3: China launches powerful rocket, paves way for more commercial missions

A small yet potent Chinese rocket, capable of delivering payloads at competitive costs, successfully launched nine satellites into orbit on Saturday. The rocket, known as the Jielong-3 or Smart Dragon-3, took off from a floating barge located off the coast of Yangjiang in southern Guangdong province. Developed by China Rocket Co, a commercial subsidiary of a state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer, this launch marked the third mission of the rocket since December 2022. President Xi Jinping has called for the expansion of strategic industries including the commercial space sector, deemed key to building constellations of satellites for communications, remote sensing and…