Kuaizhou 1A Family rocket variant.
Performance data not available.
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) subsidiary Expace is expected to launch more Kuaizhou-1A solid rockets in 2019, each 20 m tall and 1.4 m in diameter with a 200-kilogram capacity to 700-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit.
CASIC launched Jilin-1 remote sensing satellites for Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. using its Kuaizhou-1A launcher in January 2017 and September 2018.
The Kuaizhou-1A launched from a mobile platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 7:41 p.m. Eastern.
A Kuaizhou-1A will launch a 0.005 kg technology verification satellite for Galaxy Space from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 2020-01-11.
Expace was established in 2016 and operates the Kuaizhou-1A launch vehicle.
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation launched four times in 2020, including the failed debut launch of the Kuaizhou-11 and the loss of a Kuaizhou-1A rocket in September 2020.
Expace, a company affiliated with CASIC, launched four Kuaizhou-1A rockets in 2021, with the last of those launches ending in failure.
CASIC expects to launch the Xingyun-2 satellites in pairs on Kuaizhou-1A rockets operated by subsidiary Expace.
CASIC had planned to launch 12 Xingyun satellites in 2021 prior to the Kuaizhou-1A failure in 2020.
CASIC stated plans to launch 12 Xingyun satellites in 2020 prior to the previous Kuaizhou-1A failure.
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. carried out four Kuaizhou-1A launches in 2021 with one failure.
Expace has launched 23 satellites into orbit on 13 successful Kuaizhou-1A flights since 2017.
Kuaizhou-1A and Kuaizhou-11 rockets developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) and its affiliates remain grounded after failures in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
A Kuaizhou-1A solid rocket operated by Expace lifted off from Taiyuan at 6:55 p.m. Eastern on 2022-09-24, carrying the Shiyan-14 and Shiyan-15 satellites.
CASIC’s launcher operator arm Expace plans a total of 8 to 10 launches of Kuaizhou-1A and Kuaizhou-11 rockets in 2023.
Expace operates Kuaizhou solid rockets for state-owned CASIC and planned seven launches of Kuaizhou-1A and Kuaizhou-11 rockets in 2023.
China launched a Kuaizhou-1A light-lift solid rocket from Xichang at 1:32 a.m. Eastern (0532 UTC) on 2023-08-14 carrying five HeDe-3 (A–E) ship and traffic AIS tracking satellites for HEAD Aerospace.
Expace and CASIC have launched 24 Kuaizhou-1A rockets and 11 Kuaizhou-11 rockets since 2017, suffering three failures.
China has experienced two launch failures within hours of each other.