- Facility targets faster assembly cycles
- Project signals shift in local industrial base
CAS Space (中科宇航), a leading Chinese company specializing in the development, production, and launch services of medium to large commercial rockets, began operations at a new manufacturing facility in Shaoxing on April 28, marking the start of mass production for its Kinetica-2 liquid launch vehicle.
The Shaoxing plant, located in Keqiao District, integrates final assembly, testing, and core component manufacturing, including propellant tanks, valves, interstage sections, and piping systems.
The company aims to shorten assembly and testing cycles to under two months within three to five years, with an annual capacity of up to 12 rockets.
The move follows the maiden flight of the Kinetica-2 rocket less than a month ago at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone in Ejin Banner, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and forms part of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center complex in northwestern China.
Li Qinfeng, deputy chief designer of the rocket, likened the system to a space logistics service, with satellites serving as payloads.
The successful debut demonstrated the feasibility of a new cargo launch model and could improve redundancy in orbital transport systems, he said.
The factory is a key part of CAS Space’s quest to industrialize liquid rocket production. Its manufacturing setup includes a pulsed assembly line, where rockets are built across fixed stations in parallel, allowing multiple units to move through production simultaneously.
The design approach emphasizes modularization and standardization to streamline manufacturing and reduce customization.
Future versions of the rocket are expected to adopt reusable engines developed in-house, alongside a clustered recovery system based on a common core stage, according to the company.
The project is part of Zhejiang province’s signature “Thousand Projects, Trillion Yuan” (千项万亿) initiative—a large-scale investment program whereby cities across Zhejiang are slated to plunge over 1 trillion yuan into at least 1,000 industries, spanning a range of high-profile industries from advanced manufacturing to new energy production.
The CAS Space facility was completed at an accelerated pace, with construction finished in about a year after land acquisition. Local authorities in Keqiao established a dedicated task force to support the project through its development cycle, Chinese media reported.
Officials expect the facility to drive integration between aerospace manufacturing and Shaoxing’s existing industrial base, particularly in precision manufacturing, advanced materials, and electronics.
The site will also include exhibition and educational spaces, featuring a full-scale training rocket.
The development reflects a broader shift in Keqiao’s economic identity, from its traditional roots in textiles to emerging participation in China’s budding commercial space sector.
Since 2023, Guangzhou-based CAS Space has led the Chinese commercial rocket sector, holding the largest market share in the commercial rocket launch services industry.
It is the only domestic company capable of carrying payloads over one ton on a continuous basis. As of April 2026, the company has completed 12 successful launches, placing 95 payloads into orbit with a combined weight of over 17 tons. It serves 27 domestic and 6 international clients.
