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ExPace

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ExPace
Company typeState-owned company
IndustryAerospace
FoundedFebruary 2016
Headquarters
Wuhan, Hubei
,
China
ParentChina Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC)
Websiteexpace.com.cn (archived)

ExPace (ExPace Technology Corporation;[1] also called CASIC Rocket Technology Company[2]) is a Chinese state-owned[3] 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.[4][1][5][6] ExPace was established in February 2016.[7] ExPace was founded as a Chinese commercial launch vehicle company.[8]

Kuaizhou launch vehicles

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Main article: Kuaizhou

ExPace's line of Kuaizhou (KZ; Chinese: 快舟; pinyin: Kuài-Zhōu; lit. 'fast vessel') 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.[1][5][6] ExPace charges about US$10,000/kg for launches.[7]

  • Kuaizhou 1 (KZ-1):
    200 kg (440 lb) to SSO; [5]
    First launch: 25 September 2013; [6]
  • Kuaizhou 1A:
    300 kg (660 lb) to LEO; [7]
    First launch: 9 January 2017; [7]
  • Kuaizhou 11 (KZ-11):
    2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) diameter; 2.2–2.6 m (7 ft 3 in – 8 ft 6 in) payload fairing; 78,000 kg (172,000 lb) lift-off mass; 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) to LEO; 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) to SSO; US$10,000/kg; [5][6]
    First launch: 10 July 2020.

Marketplace

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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.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Phillip Keane (20 September 2016). "ExPace, China's Very Own SpaceX". Asian Scientist Magazine.
  2. ^ a b Doug Messier (20 December 2017). "EXPACE Raises US$182 Million for Small Satellite Launchers". Parabolic Arc. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  3. ^ "China's Private Space Race". Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. ^ "China's Private Space Race". Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Jeffrey Lin (7 October 2016). "China's Private Space Industry Prepares To Compete With SpaceX And Blue Origin". Popular Science.
  6. ^ a b c d "First commercial space base to be built in Wuhan". SpaceDaily. 14 September 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d Stephen Clark (9 January 2017). "Kuaizhou rocket lifts off on first commercial mission". Spaceflight Now.
  8. ^ Pan Yue (19 December 2017). "China's Commercial Space Launch Company ExPace Raises US$180 Million Round". China Money Network.
  9. ^ "China Plans First Commercial Rocket-Launch Company, Xinhua Says". Bloomberg News. 15 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Kuai Zhou (Fast Vessel)". China Space Report. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  11. ^ Andrew Jones (10 July 2020). "First launch of Chinese Kuaizhou-11 rocket ends in failure". Space News. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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