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At 11:40 a.m. on November 13, 2019, KZ-1A Y11 launch vehicle named "Kuaizhou-Our Space" successfully launched Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A satellite into the pre-selected orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Photo by Lang Wenhai
KZ-1A is a solid launch vehicle developed by Expace Technology Co., Ltd. (Expace) affiliated to China Space Sanjiang Group Corporation of CASIC. It has a sun synchronous orbit carrying capacity of 200 kg/700 km, features high reliability, high orbit injection accuracy and low cost. This is the second launch mission of KZ-1A this year and the first time that it completed more than launch mission in a year. So far, it has completed 4 commercial launches in total.
Photo by Wang Jinmiao
Expace cooperated with "Our Space" New Media Center in this launch mission and named the KZ-1A Y11 as "Kuaizhou-Our Space". The Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A satellite launched this time is an optical remote sensing satellite independently developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., featuring wide width and high resolution. After this satellite is sent into the pre-selected orbit, there are a total of 14 previously launched Jilin-1 satellites with higher spatial resolution and temporal resolution of remote sensing data, providing timely remote sensing information services in fields like agriculture and forestry, environmental monitoring, smart city, geographical mapping and land planning.
January 2017
KZ-1A successfully completed its first commercial launch in the mode of "sending three satellites into orbit by one launch vehicle".
September 2018
KZ-1A successfully completed its launch of sending the CentiSpace test satellite into orbit.
August 2019
KZ-1A successfully completed its launch mission in the mode of "sending two satellites by one launch vehicle".
In recent years, while actively promoting the development of the commercial aerospace industry, CASIC has also given great impetus to the development of low-cost launch vehicle technology, focused on the development of "Kuaizhou" launch vehicles as well as commercial aerospace power technology and industry.
To meet the launch requirements of small, medium and large commercial satellites of different levels in the future, the "Kuaizhou" launch vehicle family is continuously updated. Today, KZ-1A is becoming more and more mature. KZ-11 will make its maiden flight. With general international interface, the launch vehicles of this series can launch 300-700kg small low-orbit satellites. They are characterized by vehicular maneuverability, fast response, fast integration and fast launch, as well as high flight reliability, high orbit injection accuracy, short preparation period, few support requirements and low launch cost.
Established in 2016, Expace is the first specialized launch vehicle company engaged in R&D and application in a commercial mode. Aiming to be a world-leading commercial launch service company and adhering to the development idea of technology, commercial mode and management innovation, Expace keeps on carrying forward the deep integration of capital, market and talents, and devotes itself to becoming a forerunner of domestic commercial launch service, a pioneer of domestic commercial industry and an explorer of aerospace economy development.
In 2017, Expace completed series A round, raising more than RMB 1.2 billion mainly for the "Kuaizhou" solid launch vehicle development and production capacity building, product R&D investment and innovation center construction. The general assembly and control center project for launch vehicles (Phase I) at the Wuhan National Aerospace Industry Base invested and built by Expace is mainly intended for assembly test of "Kuaizhou" solid launch vehicles. It was officially commenced in October 2017 and is expected to be put into operation in 2019.
