The aerospace industry is an international undertaking. In addition to satellite companies, rocket companies are also actively expanding the international aerospace market.
Today we will learn about: China’s top 10 commercial aerospace companies going overseas-⑤China Aerospace.
1
China Aerospace
CAS Space was established in December 2018 and is headquartered in Nansha, Guangzhou. It is a high-tech enterprise cultivated and incubated by the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is also the first mixed-ownership commercial rocket company in China. Its core team is all from the Chinese National Launch Vehicle Team and is committed to launch vehicle research and development, production and launch services.
2
rocket spectrum
China Aerospace currently has a mature rocket Lijian 1 and Lijian 2, Lijian 2 heavy-duty, Lijian 3 and suborbital vehicles and other rockets under development. Lijian-1 is a medium-sized solid launch vehicle developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, with a total length of 30 meters, a core diameter of 2.65 meters, and can be equipped with a 2.65-meter/3.35-meter fairing. The take-off weight is 135 tons, the take-off thrust is 200 tons, the LEO transport capacity is 2 tons, and the 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit transport capacity is 1.5 tons. So far, 57 satellites have been put into predetermined orbits through 5 launches. Lijian-2 is a medium-to-large liquid launch vehicle under development by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It has a total length of 52 meters, a take-off weight of 625 tons, and a take-off thrust of 766 tons. The core diameter is 3.35 meters, adopts CBC configuration, 4.2 meters fairing, and can be reused more than 20 times. It is planned to make its first flight and launch the prototype cargo spacecraft in September 2025.
3
Overseas cases
On November 11, 2024, Lijian 1 used the “15 satellites in one arrow” method in the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone to successfully deliver 15 satellites into predetermined orbits, including a foreign satellite-Oman Intelligent Remote Sensing Satellite 1. The satellite was contracted by China Great Wall Industrial Group and jointly developed by Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong and Dioshuang Space Technology. It is an intelligent remote sensing optical computing satellite. China Aerospace provides launch services for it. This launch is the first time that a Chinese commercial aerospace enterprise has provided launch services to international users. It marks the official entry of Lijian-1 into the international commercial market and is a major breakthrough in my country’s commercial aerospace field.
4
Enter the international market
In June 2023, China Aerospace signed a memorandum of cooperation with the French innovative company RIDE! Space, using the RIDE! platform to contact more than 250 satellite manufacturers and operators to undertake global launch needs.
hello space
At present, the foreign launch market is almost monopolized by SpaceX. my country’s commercial rocket companies are under great pressure to go overseas. On the one hand, they have not yet formed a recyclable transport capacity that can compete with SpaceX. On the other hand, they have little experience in going overseas.
But Chinese commercial rocket companies are not without their advantages. In terms of rockets, China’s commercial rockets have more models. In addition to the large and medium-sized recyclable liquid rockets that various companies are currently focusing on, there are also a variety of small and medium-sized solid rockets that can meet a variety of payloads and orbital launch requirements, and are cost-effective.
In terms of policy, in November 2024, Li Guoping, chief engineer of the National Space Administration, stated at the Zhuhai Forum Commercial Aerospace Development Forum that he would support commercial aerospace companies in “going global” and support satellite exports, data applications, international commercial launch services, etc., providing policy guarantees for commercial rocket companies.
This year, a number of recyclable liquid rockets from my country’s commercial rocket companies will have their first flights, which will lead to a large-scale recyclable transportation capacity in the future. Although there is still a big gap compared with the industry leader SpaceX, thanks to China’s complete industrial chain system, the launch costs of Chinese commercial rocket companies are expected to be comparable to SpaceX in the future.
In the long run, it is feasible for Chinese commercial rocket companies to go overseas!
