| CAS Space | |
Native name | 广州中科宇航探索技术有限公司 |
| Industry | Launch service provider |
| Founded | April 2018; 6 years ago (2018-04) inBeijing, China |
| Headquarters | Guangzhou,Guangdong, China |
| Website | www |
CAS Space (Chinese:中科宇航) is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based inGuangzhou. It was founded in 2018 and majority owned by theChinese Academy of Sciences.[1][2]
CAS Space was founded in Beijing, but the company is now headquartered in Guangzhou, China, while its Beijing location continues to be its primary R&D center. The company has constructed its dedicated launch pad and facilities at theJSLC.[2] The launch pad is considered the first launch pad in China built for commercial use. The company has multiple subsidiaries, including a Guangzhou-based subsidiary responsible for the operation of its aerospace technology and industry base, and a Xi'an-based subsidiary for propulsion system.[2]
CAS Space aims to materialize research projects from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is dedicated to space exploration, research, and providinglaunch services. The company is currently developing the Kinetica rocket family. The enterprise's motto is "Go above and beyond," or "无畏向上 无限可能" as it is publicized in Chinese.[2]
CAS Space's first solid-fuel launch vehicleKinetica 1 (Lijian-1,PR-1)[3][4] is 30 m (98 ft) tall, 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) in diameter and weighs 135 t (149 tons). It consists of four solid fuel stages. The Kinetica 1 is capable of lifting 1.5 t (1.65 tons) toSSO at an altitude of 500 km or 2 t (2.20 tons) toLEO.[5][6]
The Kinetica 2 is a medium-lift liquid propellant rocket. It is scheduled for its debut flight in 2025, with plans for the first stage and booster recovery by 2027.[7] Using kerosene and liquid oxygen propellant.[8] Featuring aCBC design,[clarification needed] it boasts a core stage with a diameter of 3.35 meters and stretches 53 meters in length. It is capable of delivering payloads up to 7.8 tons toSSO at 500 km altitude and 12 tons toLEO.[9] The Kinetica 2H variant is capable of delivering payloads up to 12 tons toSSO at an altitude of 500 km.[10]
The Kinetica 3, areusable vehicle, will be capable of delivering payloads up to 20 tons toSSO at an altitude of 500 km.[10]
In August 2021, CAS Space announced that it was developing a single-stagesub-orbitalspace tourism vehicle similar toBlue Origin'sNew Shepard rocket. The vehicle, consisting of a booster and capsule, would be powered by fiveXuanyuan engines. An uncrewed demonstration flight is expected to take place in 2022,[needs update] followed by a full-fledged uncrewed suborbital flight in 2023, with tourism service set to begin in 2024.[11][12][needs update] The timeline for achieving mature, round-trip suborbital space tourism has been extended to 2030.[7]
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