Kinetica 1

Active

CAS Space (CAS)

July 27, 2022

Description

Kinetica 1 (also known as Lijian-1, Chinese: 力箭一号) is a Chinese solid-propellant light launch vehicle. It is capable of placing about 2 tons into low earth orbit and 1.5 tons into sun-synchronous orbit. It is developed by CAS Space, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Kinetica 1 is a light launcher whose first stage seems to be derived from the DF-31 long-range intercontinental ballistic missile. It is 30 m high and has a diameter of 2.65 m, with a liftoff mass of 135 t. It's the largest Chinese solid propellant launcher to date, with four stages with a thrust of 200, 100, 50 and 10 tons respectively. The fairing has a diameter of 3.35 meters.

Specifications
  • Stages
    4
  • Length
    30.0 m
  • Diameter
    2.65 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Launch Mass
    135.0 T
  • Thrust
    1961.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Kinetica 1
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Kinetica 1
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    2000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    1500.0 kg

CAS Space

Commercial
None
CAS 2018

CAS Space is a spin-off company from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) that is operating and plans to operate various launch vehicles of the Zhongke series.

Kinetica 1 | 8 x Jilin-1

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
April 14, 2026, 4:03 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

8 Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 commercial Earth observation satellites constellation: * High Resolution-07A 02-04 * High Resolution-07B 02-04 * High Resolution-07C 02-03

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | 9 satellites

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 10, 2025, 4:03 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Share ride of 9 satellites to sun-synchronous orbit: * Satellite 813 (United Arab Emirates) * Jilin-1 Gaofen 07B-01/07C-01/07D-01 * Dongpo-15 * Yixing-2 09 * Yixian-A * SPNEX (Egypt) * Slipper2Sat (Nepal)

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | Chutian-2 01 & 02

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Nov. 9, 2025, 3:32 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

2 satellites built by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) for testing operations of Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellites for Earth observation purposes.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | PRSC-HS1 & AIRSAT-03/04

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Oct. 19, 2025, 3:33 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

* PRSC-HS1 is a hyperspectral Earth observation satellite for SUPARCO of Pakistan. * AIRSAT-03/04 are 2 X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation satellite made by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with 0.5 meter resolution. AIRSAT-03 is built for TerraXpace of Malaysia.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | 7 satellites

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Aug. 19, 2025, 7:33 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

A share ride mission of 7 various Earth observation and technological demonstration satellites: * AIRSAT-05/Haishao-2 * Tianyan 26 * Duogongneng Shiyan-2 01-03 * ThumbSat-1/2 (Mexico)

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | 6 satellites

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
May 21, 2025, 4:05 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carried 6 satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit, including commercial Earth observation satellites Taijing-3-04 & Taijing-4-02A: * Taijing-3-04 * Taijing-4-02A * Xingrui-11 * Xiguang-1 02 * Xingjiyuan-1 * Cube-108 001

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | DEAR-3 & 10 other satellites

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 27, 2024, 1:03 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Launched 11 satellites including AZSPACE's DEAR-3 prototype recoverable science experiment spacecraft and the French CASAA-Sat cubesat from the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | 15 satellites

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Nov. 11, 2024, 4:03 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Launch of 15 satellites on share-ride to SSO: * Shiyan 26 A/B/C * Jilin-1 High Resolution-05B * Jilin-1 Platform-02A-03 * Yunyao-1 31-36 * Xiguang-1-04/05 * Tianyan-24 * Omani IRSS-1/OL-1

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | 5 satellites

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 24, 2024, 11:33 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carried 5 satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit: * Zhongke-01/02 * Jilin-1 SAR-01A * Yunyao-21/22

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | Flight 3

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Jan. 23, 2024, 4:03 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carries 5 Earth and spatial observation satellites manufactured by MINOSPACE; details TBD: * Taijing-1-03 * Taijing-2-02 * Taijing-2-04 * Taijing-3-02 * Taijing-4-03

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | Flight 2

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
June 7, 2023, 4:10 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Will carry 26 different satellites on a ride-share launch mission, including Earth observation satellites, details TBD.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kinetica 1 | Maiden Flight

CAS Space | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
July 27, 2022, 4:12 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Carried 6 satellites to sun-synchronous orbit, including the prototype X-ray astronomy observation satellite SATech 01, Jinan 1 and 4 other technological demonstration satellites from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Falcon 9
Success
5 hours, 21 minutes ago
Starlink Group 10-24
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Kinetica 1
Success
10 hours, 52 minutes ago
8 x Jilin-1
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

8 Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 commercial Earth observation satellites constellation: * High Resolution-07A 02-04 * High Resoluti…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 3 hours ago
Cygnus CRS-2 NG-24 (S.S. Steven R. Nagel)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

This is the 24th flight of the Orbital ATK's uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its 23rd flight to the International Space Station under the Com…


Smart Dragon 3
Success
3 days, 3 hours ago
SatNet test satellite
South China Sea (launch location 3) - Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite". Probable 1 (?) test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO commun…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 9 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-21
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.