CAS Space

CAS Space

Company type	Private
Industry	Aerospace, Space launch
Founded	2018
Headquarters	Guangzhou , China
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Kinetica series rockets, space tourism vehicle
Owner	Chinese Academy of Sciences

CAS Space () is a commercial space launch enterprise based in Guangzhou, China. Established in 2018, it is predominantly owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

History

Originally founded in Beijing, CAS Space has shifted its main operations to Guangzhou, while maintaining its primary research and development center in Beijing. The company has constructed a dedicated launch facility at the JSLC, marking China’s first launch pad specifically designed for commercial missions. Its corporate structure includes subsidiaries located in Guangzhou, which oversee aerospace technology development, and in Xi'an, specializing in propulsion system engineering.

Drawing on scientific advancements from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Space propels innovation in space exploration and launch capabilities. The firm is actively developing the Kinetica series of rockets under the guiding principle "Go above and beyond" ("无畏向上 无限可能").

Kinetica 1

The Kinetica 1 (also known as Lijian-1 or PR-1) is a solid-propellant rocket standing tall with a diameter of and a mass of . It consists of four solid rocket stages and can place payloads of 1.5 tons into a 500 km SSO or 2 tons into LEO.

Kinetica 2 and 2H

Scheduled to make its inaugural flight in 2025, the Kinetica 2 is a medium-lift liquid-fueled rocket employing kerosene and liquid oxygen. It features a core stage diameter measuring 3.35 meters and an overall length of 53 meters, following a CBC design. Recovery efforts for the first stage and boosters are planned by 2027. This vehicle can deliver up to 7.8 tons to a 500 km SSO and up to 12 tons to LEO. The enhanced Kinetica 2H variant boosts payload capacity to 12 tons for SSO missions at 500 km altitude.

Kinetica 3

Designed as a reusable launcher, the Kinetica 3 aims to transport payloads weighing as much as 20 tons into a Sun-synchronous orbit at 500 km altitude.

Space Tourism Vehicle

In August 2021, CAS Space revealed plans for a single-stage suborbital space tourism craft inspired by Blue Origin's New Shepard. The vehicle utilizes five Xuanyuan engines and consists of a booster coupled with a passenger capsule. A demonstration flight without crew was targeted for 2022, followed by an uncrewed suborbital mission in 2023, with commercial tourism services initially anticipated for launch in 2024. However, the timeline for fully operational round-trip suborbital tourism has since been extended to 2030.

Kinetica 1

Flight number	Serial number	Date (UTC)	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Result	Note
1	Y1	27 July 2022 04:12	LS-130, JSLC	SATech 01 Dianci Zuzhuang Shiyan × 2 GNSS-R Jinan-1 Nanyue Science Satellite	SSO	Template:Success	First flight of Kinetica 1
2	Y2	7 June 2023 04:10	LS-130, JSLC	Shiyan 24A/B Fucheng-1 Xi'an Hangtou-8 CXPD (X Shexian Pianzheng Lifang) Tianyi 26 20 undisclosed satellites	SSO	Template:Success
3	Y3	23 January 2024 04:03	LS-130, JSLC	Taijing-1-03 Taijing-2-02 Taijing-2-04 Taijing-3-02 Taijing-4-03	SSO	Template:Success
4	Y4	24 September 2024 23:33	LS-130, JSLC	Zhongke-01/02 Jilin-1 SAR-01A Yunyao-21/22	SSO	Template:Success
5	Y5	11 November 2024 04:03	LS-130, JSLC	Jilin-1 Gaofen-05B Pingtai 02A03 Yunyao-1 31-36 Shiyan-26 A,B,C Xiguang-1 04, 05 OmanSat 1 Tianyan-24	SSO	Template:Success
6	Y6	27 December 2024 01:03	LS-130, JSLC	Dier-3 (B300-L01) Yunyao-1 ×6 Yinglong 1 Yangwang 2 Yixian A CASAA-Sat	SSO	Template:Failure	Instability occurred during third stage.
7	Y7	21 May 2025 04:05	LS-130, JSLC	Taijing-3 04 Taijing-4 02A Xingrui-11 Xingjiyuan-1 Lifangti-108 001 Xiguang-1 02 (Tanli)	SSO	Template:Success	Flight resumed following December failure.

Kinetica 2

Flight ID	Serial No.	Launch Date (UTC)	Departure Location	Cargo	Orbital Path	Outcome
1		Expected by September 2025	JSLC	Initial mission		Template:Planned