ExPace (ExPace Technology Corporation) | |
Type: | State-owned company |
Industry: | Aerospace |
Founded: | February 2016 |
Hq Location City: | Wuhan, Hubei |
Hq Location Country: | China |
Parent: | China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) |
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 missileer 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]
See main article: Kuaizhou.
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]
First launch: 25 September 2013; [6]
First launch: 9 January 2017; [7]
diameter; payload fairing; lift-off mass; to LEO; to SSO; US$10,000/kg; [5] [6]
First launch: 10 July 2020.
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, being LandSpace, Galactic Energy, LinkSpace, i-Space, OneSpace and Deep Blue Aerospace.[1]