Yinhe-1 - meaning Galaxy-1 - is the first in a series of 5G communication satellites that will eventually form a global Chinese telecommunications constellation.

Each satellite is reported to have a mass of 277 kg.

The planned 144 satellite constellation will operate at an orbital altitude of 1,150 km.

Meet China's rapid-response, "quick-reaction" rocket family: Kuaizhou.

Built by the semi-private ExPace corporation, the Kuaizhou 1A rocket is a solid-propellant launcher that can place a 200 kg payload into a maximum, circular orbit of 700 km.

The rocket is launched from a mobile launch platform and system, meaning it is not tied to a specific launch pad and can be launched from any location on a rocket range.

The rapid-response nature of the rocket means very little ground preparation time at the launch site is required before liftoff.

Its price tag of just $2 million USD per launch makes the Kuaizhou 1A (and the entire Kuaizhou rocket family) extremely competitive on the small satellite launch market.

Development of the Kuaizhou rocket started in 2009. The -1A variant flew for the first time on January 9th, 2017, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.