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ExPace

ExPace (ExPace Technology Corporation; also called CASIC Rocket Technology Company[1]) is a Chinese state-owned[2] space rocket company, based in Wuhan, Hubei, China. Its corporate compound is located at the Wuhan National Space Industry Base space industrial park. ExPace is a wholly owned subsidiary of spacecraft and missile maker China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), a Chinese state-owned company, and serves as its commercial rocket division. ExPace is focused on small satellite launchers to low Earth orbit.[3][4][5][6] ExPace was established in February 2016.[7] ExPace was founded as a Chinese commercial launch vehicle company.[8]

Kuaizhou launch vehicles

ExPace's line of Kuaizhou (KZ; ) launch vehicles use solid rocket motors, thus being available all the time once built, without need to fuel the rockets. The Kuaizhou (Fast Vessel) launch vehicles are based on Chinese ASAT and BMD mid-course interceptor launch vehicles. Development on the KZ launch vehicles started in 2009.[4][5][6] ExPace charges about US$10,000/kg for launches.[7]

  • Kuaizhou 1 (KZ-1):
  • 200 kg to SSO; [5]
  • First launch: 25 September 2013; [6]
  • Kuaizhou 1A:
  • 300 kg to LEO; [7]
  • First launch: 9 January 2017; [7]
  • Kuaizhou 11 (KZ-11):
  • 2.2 m diameter; 2.2–2.6 m payload fairing; 78000 kg lift-off mass; 1500 kg to LEO; 1000 kg to SSO; US$10,000/kg; [5][6]
  • First launch: 10 July 2020.

Marketplace

The first commercial space launch company in China, China Sanjiang Space Group Co., another subsidiary of CASIC, is planning it first launch for 2017, using ExPace's KZ-11 launch vehicle.[9][10] The KZ-11 launch vehicle has launched but failed to reach orbit on 10 July 2020.[11]

ExPace is in competition with several other Chinese space rocket startups, including LandSpace, Galactic Energy, LinkSpace, i-Space, OneSpace and Deep Blue Aerospace.[1]

See also

External links

References

  1. Doug Messier. EXPACE Raises US$182 Million for Small Satellite Launchers Parabolic Arc, 20 December 2017, retrieved 7 January 2018^
  2. China's Private Space Race retrieved 10 July 2020^
  3. China's Private Space Race retrieved 10 July 2020^
  4. Phillip Keane. ExPace, China's Very Own SpaceX Asian Scientist Magazine, 20 September 2016^
  5. Jeffrey Lin. China's Private Space Industry Prepares To Compete With SpaceX And Blue Origin Popular Science, 7 October 2016^
  6. First commercial space base to be built in Wuhan SpaceDaily, 14 September 2016^
  7. Stephen Clark. Kuaizhou rocket lifts off on first commercial mission Spaceflight Now, 9 January 2017^
  8. Pan Yue. China's Commercial Space Launch Company ExPace Raises US$180 Million Round China Money Network, 19 December 2017^
  9. China Plans First Commercial Rocket-Launch Company, Xinhua Says Bloomberg News, 15 March 2016^
  10. Kuai Zhou (Fast Vessel) China Space Report, retrieved 1 October 2016^
  11. Andrew Jones. First launch of Chinese Kuaizhou-11 rocket ends in failure Space News, 10 July 2020, retrieved 7 May 2023^