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Launch Vehicles
Vehicle family profile

Kuaizhou

快舟

Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.

Manufacturer unknownRetired
Admin
Variants
1
Canonical variants linked to this family.
Historical missions
2
Missions in the public mission table with actual launch dates.
Peak listed capacity
Unknown
Maximum payload capacity across listed variants and orbits.

Launch Cadence

Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.

YearHistorical missionsForecast launches
201310
201410

Performance Specs

Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.

VariantOrbitCapacityAltitudeInclinationSource

No performance specs

No structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family.

Recent Missions

Latest launched missions using variants in this family.

MissionVariantLaunch
Kuaizhou-2 Mission
Kuaizhou
Nov 21, 2014
Kuaizhou-1 Mission
Kuaizhou
Sep 25, 2013

Forecasted Missions

Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.

MissionVariantAnnounced

No forecasted missions

No upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family.

Variants

Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.

VariantStagesMissionsStatus
Kuaizhou
Not stated2Retired
Track
Mentions
20
All verified mentions of this launch vehicle family in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

The March 16 launch was the fifth Kuaizhou-11 mission and the 39th launch in the Kuaizhou series.

PlanGeneralValue 3.0Mar 16, 2026Orbital Refueling Test, AI Earth Observation Demo Satellites Delivered by Rideshare Launch [Kuaizhou-11 Y7]

CASIC’s subsidiary ExPace was founded in 2016 to market the Kuaizhou series of launch vehicles based on military technology.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Dec 22, 2025State-owned enterprises and commercial space in China

Today's launch was the 4th Kuaizhou-11 mission and the 38th launch of the Kuaizhou series.

PlanGeneralValue 2.5Dec 13, 2025New Commercial Cargo Spacecraft Reaches Orbit for Yearlong Mission [Kuaizhou-11 Y8]

This was the 31st Kuaizhou-1A mission and the 37th launch of the Kuaizhou series.

GeneralValue 2.2Dec 5, 2025Maritime Navigation Duo Launched From Jiuquan [Kuaizhou-1A Flight-31]

CASIC's Academy of Launch Technology is partially divesting from ExPace, the Kuaizhou Launch provider.

RelationshipsGeneralValue 4.0Oct 15, 2025R to @TAbusnardo: CASIC's Academy of Launch Technology (Sanjiang Group) is partially divesting from ExPace, the Kuaizhou Launch provider, selling 31% of its 56% share in the company to a subsidiary of Province-owned Sichuan Development (Holdings) https://www.bilibili.com/opus/1123932940685803541 https://www.163.com/dy/article/KA0MBNH005563KCB.html?spss=dy_author

Expace is planning to move Kuaizhou-6 research and development to Chengdu.

PlanGrowthValue 2.8Oct 15, 2025R to @TAbusnardo: As noted above, this happens in context of much provincial investment in space industry, losses by Expace (2024:¥180M) & poorer prospect than some competitors. Wuhan-based expace mainly has launch/integration facility in Xichang, article mentions moving Kuaizhou-6 R&D to Chengdu.

CASIC and Expace presented plans for larger Kuaizhou-21 and Kuaizhou-31 solid rockets capable of carrying 20,000 kg and 70,000 kg to LEO respectively.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Nov 29, 2023Satellite imagery reveals explosion at China’s Jiuquan spaceport

Expace operates Kuaizhou solid rockets for state-owned CASIC and planned seven launches of Kuaizhou-1A and Kuaizhou-11 rockets in 2023.

PlanRelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.5Feb 13, 2023Launches of Chinese commercial rockets could double in 2023

Kuaizhou solid rockets were planned to launch an 80-satellite narrowband constellation named Xingyun for CASIC and its subsidiaries.

PlanRelationshipsValue 4.0Sep 6, 2022China performs two launches inside two hours

Kuaizhou-21 will have a diameter of 4.5 m and be capable of sending 20,000 kg into low Earth orbit (LEO).

CapabilityValue 4.5Mar 18, 2022China is developing new solid rockets to boost overall space capabilities

Kuaizhou solid rockets provided by Expace, a spinoff from CASIC, have previously launched multiple Jilin-1 satellites.

RelationshipsGeneralValue 4.0Jul 6, 2021China conducts third orbital launch inside four days

Commercial Kuaizhou rocket launch failures shortly after June 2020 possibly delayed the Geely demonstration satellite launches.

PlanValue 3.5Feb 26, 2021Automaker Geely gains approval for satellites for self-driving constellation

Expace, a commercial spin-off from CASIC, is expected to launch multiple Kuaizhou solid rockets in 2021.

PlanValue 4.0Jan 4, 2021China’s CASC targets more than 40 space launches in 2021

Expace, a subsidiary under China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. (CASIC), launched four Kuaizhou solid rockets in 2020.

PlanCapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Dec 22, 2020China launches first Long March 8 from Wenchang spaceport

Four-meter-diameter Kuaizhou-21 and Kuaizhou-31 solid rockets are in development to carry up to 20,000 kg and 70,000 kg to LEO respectively.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.6Oct 19, 2020China’s CASIC reveals five-year plan for reusable spaceplane, commercial space projects

CASIC plans to double the number of launches of its Kuaizhou series rockets by 2023.

PlanGrowthValue 4.0Oct 19, 2020China’s CASIC reveals five-year plan for reusable spaceplane, commercial space projects

Expace is developing four-meter-diameter Kuaizhou-21 and Kuaizhou-31 solid rockets designed to carry up to 20,000 kg and 70,000 kg to low Earth orbit, respectively.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.6Jul 10, 2020First launch of Chinese Kuaizhou-11 rocket ends in failure

Kuaizhou rockets, including the Kuaizhou-11, will be launched from a transporter erector launcher (TEL).

CapabilityPlanValue 3.0Feb 26, 2019Chinese state-owned firms preparing to launch new commercial rockets

CASIC and subsidiary Expace claim launch costs for the Kuaizhou series of between $10,000 and $20,000 per kilogram and expect costs to fall to $5,000 per kilogram.

FinancialGeneralValue 4.0Feb 26, 2019Chinese state-owned firms preparing to launch new commercial rockets

Expace plans to develop larger solid-fueled launchers including the Kuaizhou-11 and Kuaizhou-21 launch vehicles.

PlanGrowthCapabilityValue 4.0Aug 14, 2018Chinese rocket maker OneSpace secures $44m in funding; Expace prepares for commercial launch