北京中科宇航探索技术有限公司
CAS Space (Guangzhou Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd.), founded in 2018 and partially owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is a Chinese commercial space launch provider. It focuses on developing and manufacturing launch vehicles, including the Kinetica series of rockets, and aims to provide launch services, suborbital science experiments, and space tourism opportunities. CAS Space operates from its headquarters in Guangzhou, with R&D in Beijing, and has established manufacturing facilities, including a dedicated commercial launch pad, to support mass production and frequent launches.
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CAS Space's Liqing-4 upper stage successfully completed testing at the 165 Institute's Qingshuitou test area.
The record for satellites launched on a single commercial rocket comes from a June 2023 CAS Space launch of 26 satellites.
Three launch failures occurred in 2024, including a CAS Space ZK-1A failure in December.
CAS Space achieved three successful launches of their ZK-1A (Lijian-1A), sending 25 satellites into orbit by November 2024.
CAS Space plans to conduct the first flight of its kerosene-liquid oxygen Kinetica-2 in the second half of 2025 after previously flying the solid-propellant Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1).
CAS Space is planning the first launch of its kerosene-liquefied oxygen Kinetica-2 rocket in the second half of 2025 to launch the Qingzhou low-cost cargo spacecraft.
Microsat’s Qingzhou cargo spacecraft is planned to launch on the first CAS Space Kinetica-2 (Kinetica-2) kerosene-liquid oxygen launcher in the second half of 2025.
CAS Space is aiming to offer suborbital tourist flights by 2027.
CAS Space’s Kinetica 2 uses kerolox propellant and has a payload capacity of 7,800 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.
CAS Space plans to launch the Kinetica-2 rocket in September 2025.
CAS Space plans potential recovery tests for reusable Kinetica-2 hardware at the end of 2026.
CAS Space’s Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) solid rocket has launched four times since its 2022 debut, all successfully.
CAS Space secured a role to launch a low-cost cargo transportation system to the Tiangong space station.
CAS Space plans 5–8 launches in the next year with 2–3 Kinetica-2 launches already booked.
CAS Space aims to offer suborbital tourist flights by 2027.
CAS Space is seeking to expand its launch services to global clients.
CAS Space raised $31,000,000 in 2021 with leading investors including CITIC Juxin (owned by CITIC Group Corporation), Zhongke Chuangxing (an accelerator fund set up by CAS), and Yuexiu Industrial Investment.
The Qingzhou cargo spacecraft will launch on a CAS Space Lijian-2 kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket expected to debut in the second half of 2025.
CAS Space is a spinoff of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developing a suborbital tourism service and targeting tourist flights in 2027.
CAS Space announced its suborbital tourism plans in 2021.