The Lijian-1 (also known as Kinetica-1) is a Chinese solid-fueled orbital launch vehicle developed by CAS Space, a commercial company spun out of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is currently the largest solid-propellant civilian rocket in China and is designed to provide cost-effective access to space for small and medium payloads. The rocket is about 30 meters tall, 2.65 meters in diameter, and has a launch mass of around 135 tons. It uses a four-stage solid-fuel design, with an optional liquid kick stage for precise orbital insertion. Lijian-1 can carry roughly 1.5 to 2 tons of payload to a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The rocket’s first flight took place on July 27, 2022, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully placing six satellites into orbit. Its name, means “Powerful Arrow,” while its English brand name Kinetica-1 highlights its kinetic energy and solid-fuel propulsion. Lijian-1 is aimed at the commercial launch market, supporting applications like Earth observation, scientific research, and satellite constellations. It fills a niche as a faster and cheaper alternative to the state-run Long March series, complementing other Chinese private launchers such as Ceres-1 and Jielong-3.
Kinetica-1
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Name: | Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1 / PR-1) |
| Manufacturer: | CAS Space / Chinese Academy of Sciences | |
| Height: | 30 m / 98 ft | |
| Diameter: | 2,6 m / 8,8 ft | |
| Mass: | 135 ton / 270,000 lb | |
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| Stages: | 4 (4 x solid fuel) | |
| Cost per launch: | Unknown | |
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| First launch: | 27/07/2022 | |
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Kinetica-1 launch statistics
Images: CAS Space