CAS Space conducts 4th flight of rocket model

CAS Space, a Beijing-based rocket maker owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted the fourth flight of its Kinetica 1 rocket model, formerly known as ZK 1A, on Wednesday morning.

The Kinetica 1-Y4 rocket lifted off at 7:33 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert and then placed five satellites into their preset orbit, the company said in a news release.

The "Y4" in the designation code means it was the fourth in the rocket series.

The Kinetica 1 type conducted its debut flight at the Jiuquan center in July 2022, becoming the country's largest and most powerful solid-propellant rocket by that time. Its second launch took place in June 2023 and transported 26 satellites into space. The third flight happened in January to deploy five satellites.

The rocket model has a length of 30 meters, a diameter of 2.65 meters, and a liftoff weight of 135 metric tons. It is capable of sending satellites with a combined weight of 1.5 tons to a typical sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers above Earth.

By now, The Kinetica 1 has deployed 42 satellites in space, boasting a 100-percent success rate.

CAS Space has begun to develop a new rocket, Kinetica 2, and plans to conduct the new type's maiden flight in 2025.

The company has built a rocket plant in Guangzhou's Nansha district, the first of its kind in South China's Guangdong province, and is currently constructing a rocket engine testing facility in Aotou township in Guangzhou.