Demo Flight (Qingzhou Prototype Spacecraft)

Name: Kinetica 2 · Demo Flight (Qingzhou Prototype Spacecraft)
Start: 2026-03-30T11:00:00Z
Location: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China

Kinetica 2, flown by CAS Space

Kinetica 2 lifting off with the Demo Flight (Qingzhou Prototype Spacecraft) mission — Image via The Space Devs.

This was CAS Space's 1st launch of 2026, and its 12th in all.

Counting every operator, it was the 70th orbital launch attempt anywhere in 2026, and the first from Launch Area 140.

Launched: Monday, March 30, 2026, 11:00 a.m. UTC
Window: Monday, March 30, 2026, 10:52 a.m. to 1:14 p.m. UTC
Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China
Rocket: Kinetica 2
Operator: CAS Space

The mission

First test launch and mission of CAS Space’s Kinetica-2 rocket, with 3 spacecraft on board: * New March 02 (Qingzhou space station cargo resupply vehicle Prototype Spacecraft) * New March 01 in-orbit experiments hosting satellite * TS-01

Type: Test flight
Destination: Polar orbit

The rocket

Height: 52 m
Built by: CAS Space
First flew: March 30, 2026
Lifts to low Earth orbit: 12,000 kg

View 4 specifications Show less

Diameter: 3.4 m
Mass at liftoff: 625 t
Thrust at liftoff: 7,515 kN
Stages: 2

One flight so far, successful.

Wikipedia →

The operator

CAS Space

CAS Space is a spin-off company from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) that is operating and plans to operate various launch vehicles of the Zhongke series.

Sector: Commercial
Based in: China
Founded: 2018

16 launches so far, 15 of them successful. The last 10 in a row went to plan.

cas-space.com → Wikipedia →

The launch site

It went up from Launch Area 140 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China.

See the pad on a map →

Catch the next one instead

This one is done, but there is another along shortly. Flyby works out whether it climbs into your sky, and wakes you in time to get outside.

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