Chinese commercial space company CAS Space is set to conduct the crucial first launch of its new Kinetica 2 rocket as early as next month, amid intense competition within the country.
Kinetics 2 is CAS Space’s first liquid-propellant orbital rocket, marking a huge step forward in ambition compared to the smaller, less complex Kinetics 1 (or Lijian 1) powder rocket. Following hot tests of the rocket’s first stage in recent months, the Kinetica 2 (Lijian 2) is now ready to launch from Jiuquan in northwest China following clearance from spaceport authorities, which is only expected after the launch of the Shenzhou 21 crewed mission to China. Tiangong Space Station towards the end of October.
Kinetics 2 rocket is essentially ready, with all major tests completed and only a few final reviews pending, said Liu Weipeng, head of international marketing for CAS Space. Espace.com at the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), held from September 29 to October 3 in Sydney, Australia.
The Kinetica 2 rocket, powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen, has three main first stages and will be capable of carrying 17,200 pounds (7,800 kilograms) of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit, or 26,450 pounds (12,000 kg) into low earth orbit. Ultimately, it will also initially be reusable.
On board will be a prototype cargo spacecraft, a first step toward a low-cost cargo transportation system to serve Tiangong, requested by China’s human spaceflight agency. The Qingzhou cargo spacecraft belongs to the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS). CAS Space itself is a commercial spin-off of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
With Kinetica 2, CAS Space intends to compete for satellite launch contracts for the Chinese project megaconstellations and send cargo to Tiangong. It will face strong competition from other Chinese commercial players, notably Terrestrial space, iSpace, Space pioneer, Galactic Energy and many more, all aiming to launch their own rockets before the end of the year.
Sea launches and suborbital tourism
CAS Space, for its part, has new ambitions and wishes to increase its launch rate. “We will launch six Kinetica 1 missions from the East China Sea,” Liu said. These would be the company’s first sea launches, supported by China’s Eastern Sea Spaceport, located on the coast of eastern China’s Shandong province.
According to Liu, a number of Kinetica 1 team members have already worked on the Long walk 11, which was developed by the state-owned space company CASC. The Long March 11 was the first Chinese rocket to launch from the sea back in 2019.
Beyond that, the company plans to provide space tourism services are progressing. “We will have more news by the end of the year,” Liu said. There will soon be a first test flight of the crew capsule, launched via a solid booster. The test will include microgravity experiments.
“We have a detailed plan. So the vehicle will initially be ready by 2027,” with commercial services expected to start in 2028, Liu said. The company tested its Kinecore engine for the Lihong 2 suborbital rocket in June.
CAS space spear international payloads in August on a Kinetica 1 rocket. New international partners are pending, and announcements will follow in due course, according to Liu.
Kinetica 2 will be a major challenge, marking a big step forward in complexity and capacity for the enterprise. Success could open many doors. “We are very confident,” Liu said.