CAS Space (Guangzhou Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd.)

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.

commercialFounded 2018

China

en.cas-space.com/

Admin Edit

All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

CAS Space's PR-2H heavy launch vehicle is 57 meters long and has a liftoff mass of 102 tonnes.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026While the first Kinetica-2 has just flown, CAS Space is already planning a lot of upgrades to it. Not the least of which a quint-core Kinetica-2 Heavy...

CAS Space planned not to attempt first-stage recovery until at least 2028.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026At this point you might ask: where are the landing legs on the tri-core booster? Well @cas_space has decided to concentrate on getting a workable launcher 1st, and as of 2 years ago they already planned not to attempt 1st stage recovery till at least 2028.

CAS Space is building the Kinecore-2 liquid oxygen-kerosene engine, also known as Liqing-2, for an upgraded reusable version of its vehicle.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026...and the AALPT-sourced YF-102(V) engines are going to be "interim" solutions - @cas_space is in fact building their own more powerful gas generator kerosene/LOX engine, the Kinecore-2 (a.k.a. Liqing-2), for the upgraded version that should be reusable:

CAS Space’s rocket uses 9 engines arranged in a 3 by 3 pattern.

CapabilityValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026Raw power of 9 engines, 3 x 3 here - but other rockets planning to use the same series will cluster them in a octaweb instead:

CAS Space’s Kinetica-2 launch vehicle lifted off from Launch Area 140 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on March 30 at 19:00 China Standard Time.

PlanValue 2.8Mar 30, 2026Tri-Core Kinetica-2 Soars Into Orbit Carrying Cargo Spacecraft on First Mission! [Kinetica-2 Y1]

CAS Space's PR-2H heavy launch vehicle is designed for more than 20 reuse cycles.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026While the first Kinetica-2 has just flown, CAS Space is already planning a lot of upgrades to it. Not the least of which a quint-core Kinetica-2 Heavy...

CAS Space's PR-2H heavy launch vehicle can deliver 15 tonnes to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit and 22 tonnes to low Earth orbit.

CapabilityValue 4.4Mar 30, 2026While the first Kinetica-2 has just flown, CAS Space is already planning a lot of upgrades to it. Not the least of which a quint-core Kinetica-2 Heavy...

The CAS Space Kinecore-2 pintle-injector engine has a thrust of 110 tf.

CapabilityValue 4.5Mar 30, 2026...and the AALPT-sourced YF-102(V) engines are going to be "interim" solutions - @cas_space is in fact building their own more powerful gas generator kerosene/LOX engine, the Kinecore-2 (a.k.a. Liqing-2), for the upgraded version that should be reusable:

CAS Space’s Kinetica-2 stage-2 auxiliary engine system is built with monopropellant helium constant-pressure extrusion engines.

CapabilityValue 4.2Mar 30, 2026Here's the 2nd stage's RCS, needed for missions requiring engine re-start:

CAS Space's Kinetica-2 is a launcher.

GeneralValue 2.5Mar 30, 2026So about the launch happening right now. A launcher debuting that very much cross into Rocket Lab's Neutron territory and represents part of the semi-private company's path to commercial cargo resupply dreams. Meet @cas_space's Kinetica-2 & Qingzhou spacecraft.

CAS Space will use the Kinecore-4 engine and 50 N RCS thrusters in the upcoming Kinastra (Lixun, 力巡) kick stage.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026Interesting to see pintle injectors being used on a pressure-fed (and if I read correctly, hypergolic fuel) cycle upper stage engine. BTW CAS Space apparently just reported the Kinetica-2 may also come in a single core version in the future!

The March 30 launch was CAS Space’s 12th mission across the Kinetica launch vehicle family.

GeneralPlanValue 3.5Mar 30, 2026Tri-Core Kinetica-2 Soars Into Orbit Carrying Cargo Spacecraft on First Mission! [Kinetica-2 Y1]

CAS Space is the only commercial launch provider in China with both solid- and liquid-propellant launch capabilities.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Mar 30, 2026While not among the most notable of the new storm of Chinese launchers (and is quite a bit smaller than many, including one I will talk about later), there's a lot of hope put on Kinetica-2 for CSS cargo runs and (of course) LEO constellation deployments.

CAS Space completed first-stage hot fire testing for Kinetica-2 at its dedicated engine testing center in Conghua, Guangzhou.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026And here's when they performed the full 1st stage single core test fire, only 9 months ago:

CAS Space advanced from a dozen proposals in 2023 to the final four and secured the Qingzhou bid.

RelationshipsGrowthValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026Official mission review video:

CAS Space completed the stage separation test for Kinetica-2.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Mar 30, 2026And that's how the stages are separated:

CAS Space's PR-2H heavy launch vehicle uses 15 liquid oxygen-kerosene engines on its first stage and one liquid oxygen-kerosene engine on its second stage.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.6Mar 30, 2026While the first Kinetica-2 has just flown, CAS Space is already planning a lot of upgrades to it. Not the least of which a quint-core Kinetica-2 Heavy...

CAS Space's 20 kN Kinecore-4 engine and 50 N RCS thrusters have completed boundary performance qualification tests.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.2Mar 30, 2026Interesting to see pintle injectors being used on a pressure-fed (and if I read correctly, hypergolic fuel) cycle upper stage engine. BTW CAS Space apparently just reported the Kinetica-2 may also come in a single core version in the future!

CAS Space says Kinetica-2 will provide global clients with a reliable and affordable option for megaconstellations.

CapabilityGeneralValue 2.2Mar 30, 2026The initial version (yes, there's a later version with new engines) of Kinetica-2 can be loosely viewed as a "tri-core" version of the flown-3-years-ago competitor's Tianlong-2, each core w/ 3 YF-102 engines. This is an engine sold by a state enterprise...

The Qingzhou prototype cargo spacecraft will launch on the first flight of CAS Space's Lijian-2, or Kinetica-2, rocket in September 2025.

PlanGeneralValue 4.2Mar 30, 2026While the competition was hardly "commercial" in the Western sense (state enterprises CAST & SAST were finalists), & overshadowed by the other winner, Chinese aerospace giant AVIC's Haolong spaceplane, @CAS_Space nevertheless got a contract for this can:

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