CAS Space

CAS Space (Zhongke Aerospace) is a Chinese commercial launch provider founded in 2018 as a spinoff of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Headquartered in Guangzhou with R&D centers in Beijing and Xi'an, the company develops the Kinetica family of launch vehicles and the Li Hong series of suborbital spacecraft.

The Kinetica 1 (PR-1) is a four-stage solid-propellant rocket capable of delivering 1.5 tonnes to SSO or 2 tonnes to LEO, with 10 successful flights and 84 satellites delivered through 11 missions. The Kinetica 2 (PR-2) is a kerosene/liquid-oxygen medium-lift vehicle targeting 7.8 tonnes to SSO and 12 tonnes to LEO, with first-stage reusability planned by 2027. A heavy variant, Kinetica 2H, adds four boosters for payloads up to 22 tonnes to LEO.

CAS Space also operates in the suborbital segment with the Li Hong 1 vehicle for microgravity experiments and is developing a suborbital tourism vehicle designed to carry seven passengers above the Karman line. The company maintains a vertically integrated operation spanning rocket design, engine development, manufacturing, and launch services from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.