China’s leading commercial aerospace manufacturer CAS Space has marked another key milestone in its domestic commercial launch program, successfully conducting the 12th flight mission of its Kinetica 1 solid-fuel rocket series on April 14, 2026.
Liftoff of the mission was timed for 12:03 p.m. Beijing Time, lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in the vast Gobi Desert of northwestern China. After a smooth ascent sequence, the rocket accurately inserted eight remote-sensing satellites into their pre-planned target orbits, completing all planned mission objectives. This launch also stands as China’s 24th orbital space launch mission carried out in 2026, underscoring the country’s steady, high-frequency pace of space activity this year.
Since the Kinetica 1 program entered operational service, CAS Space has accumulated an impressive track record across its 12 missions. To date, the rocket model has enabled the company to deploy a total of 92 satellites for a wide range of commercial and institutional clients, with the aggregate mass of all deployed payloads exceeding 12 metric tons.
As a workhorse solid-fuel launch vehicle designed for small-to-medium satellite deployment missions, the Kinetica 1 has well-defined specifications tailored to commercial market demands. The rocket measures 30 meters in total length, with a core diameter of 2.65 meters and a liftoff mass of 135 tons. It is capable of transporting a combined payload mass of up to 1.5 tons into a standard 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, a common orbital plane used for most remote-sensing and Earth observation satellites.
Beyond its technical capabilities, CAS Space has scaled up production and response capacity to meet growing commercial demand for launch services. Meng Xiangfu, deputy project manager for the Kinetica 1 program, noted that the company’s existing production lines support an annual output of more than 10 Kinetica 1 rockets. From the point a client submits a launch order to full mission preparation, the company can complete all pre-launch preparations in as little as six months, offering flexible, fast-turnaround services that align with the rapid growth of the global small satellite market.