China's new commercial rocket Kinetica-2 completes maiden mission

China's commercial space company CAS Space on Monday successfully debuted its Kinetica-2 carrier rocket, a medium-lift liquid-fueled vehicle, from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China.

Featuring a common booster core configuration, the rocket carried three satellites on its maiden flight, including the New March-01 technology demonstration satellite, the New March-02 space experimental spacecraft, and the TS-01 educational satellite.

Developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the New March-02 weighs 4.2 tonnes and can operate in orbit for up to three years, enabling a range of in-orbit technology demonstrations.

The New March-01 satellite, developed by CAS Satellite Technology, functions as a "mini space laboratory" and will conduct multiple in-orbit experiments using commercial off-the-shelf technologies.

The launch also reflects deeper integration between the commercial sector and national space initiatives. CAS Space has been involved in projects linked to China's space station cargo transportation system, indicating that commercial launch providers are increasingly being incorporated into key state-led programs.

The commercial space sector has been identified as a priority area in China's national development planning, including the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), with an emphasis on advancing market-oriented and large-scale development of space services.

"Commercial rockets are not only needed to serve market demand, but to participate in major national missions under engineering-level standards," Yang said, adding that "it can drive the launch services industry toward greater commercialization, specialization and scalability."

Yang Haoliang, CAS Space's vice president and the chief commander of Kinetica-2, said that in its current non-reusable configuration, the launch cost of Kinetica-2 is already comparable to that of SpaceX's Falcon 9 in its reusable mode. With the introduction of recovery technology, costs could potentially be reduced further, possibly to around half of existing levels.

According to Lian Jie, deputy chief designer of the rocket, future versions of Kinetica-2 will be equipped with the company's self-developed reusable engines. The company is also planning a 100-kilometer recovery test for its reusable rocket system later this year, as part of ongoing efforts to advance reusable launch capabilities.