China’s Kinetica-2 rocket debuts successfully, sending prototype cargo spacecraft to orbit
Chinese commercial launch company CAS Space placed its Kinetica‑2 vehicle on orbit at 07:00 a.m. Eastern (1100 UTC) on 30 March 2026 from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The maiden flight carried a prototype cargo spacecraft, the New Journey‑02, a mini‑space‑lab called New Journey‑01, and an educational satellite designated TS‑01. CAS Space announced the mission a complete success and linked the flight to national strategic projects and major engineering initiatives.
The 53‑metre Kinetica‑2 features a 3.35‑metre universal core stage and a pair of three‑engine booster modules, each powered by YF‑102 kerosene‑liquid‑oxygen engines supplied by the state‑owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The vehicle can deliver up to 12 000 kg to low‑Earth orbit or about 8 000 kg to a 500‑km sun‑synchronous orbit, with modular configurations allowing 0, 2 or 4 boosters for payloads ranging from 2 000 to 20 000 kg. A clustered booster recovery system is under development, and the rocket can be paired with the Lixun‑1 upper stage for higher‑energy missions such as geostationary transfer orbit. New Journey‑02, a 4 200‑kg Qingzhou‑1 prototype built by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, carried 27 experimental payloads totalling 1 020 kg and is designed for a three‑year orbital life. New Journey‑01, a mini‑lab created by a CAS‑affiliated commercial entity using technology from CAS’s Aerospace Information Research Institute, houses multi‑angle imaging cameras and a porthole‑equipped capsule for on‑orbit verification of commercial off‑the‑shelf hardware.
The launch marks a step in China’s push for low‑cost, high‑cadence and potentially reusable launch capability aimed at supporting Tiangong station resupply and large‑scale on‑orbit infrastructure. The successful flight follows a Long March 2C launch of the classified Shiyan‑33 spacecraft on 27 March and precedes a likely Tianlong‑3 attempt by Space Pioneer on 2 April, indicating an accelerating commercial launch cadence. Demand from upcoming megaconstellations such as Guowang and Thousand Sails is expected to drive further use of Kinetica‑2, while CAS Space continues to expand its portfolio with the solid‑fuel Kinetica‑1, the sub‑orbital tourism vehicle Lihong‑1, and an imminent initial public offering.
Related Launch
