Kuaizhou 1A

Active

ExPace (EP)

Jan. 9, 2017

Description

Kuaizhou is a family of Chinese "quick-reaction" orbital launch vehicles. Flying since 2013, Kuaizhou 1 and 1A consist of three solid-fueled rocket stages, with a liquid-fueled fourth stage as part of the satellite system.

Specifications
  • Stages
    4
  • Length
    19.4 m
  • Diameter
    1.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    1.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    30.0 T
  • Thrust
    ―
Family
  • Name
    Kuaizhou 1A
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    1A
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Kuaizhou 1A
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    ―
  • Low Earth Orbit
    300.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    ―
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    250.0 kg

ExPace

Commercial
CEO: Zhang Di
EP 2016

ExPace is a Chinese space rocket company based in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It 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.

Previous Flights

flew on 31 previous launch(es).

Kuaizhou 1A | Traffic VDES A & B

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 5, 2025, 9 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Two technology demonstration satellites for satellite transmissions of signals for the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES), a successor to the current Automatic Identification System (AIS) on ships and maritime vessels for traffic management at sea with higher bandwidth on new frequencies for secure communications and e-navigation. This project is a joint effort by the China Ministry of Transport's China Transport Telecommunications Information Center and SpaceSail, operator of the Qianfan/G60 constellation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | PRSC-S1

ExPace | China
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
July 31, 2025, 2 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Chinese built Earth observation satellite for Pakistan’s SUPARCO (Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission).

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Unknown Payload

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
March 1, 2025, 10 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Details TBD.

Unknown
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Kuaizhou 1A | Haishao-1

ExPace | China
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:46 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellite from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to observe dynamics properties of oceans.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianqi 29-32

ExPace | China
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 20, 2024, 9:43 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

4 small satellites for LEO Internet of Things (IoT) communication purposes.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianxing-1-02

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Jan. 11, 2024, 3:52 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Satellite reported as for "spatial environment measurement" purposes. Actual usage TBD.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianmu-1 15-18

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Jan. 5, 2024, 11:20 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianmu-1 19-22

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 27, 2023, 6:50 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianmu-1 11-14

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 25, 2023, 1 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | HEAD-3A/B/C/D/E

ExPace | China
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Aug. 14, 2023, 5:32 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

5 commercial ship/traffic AIS tracking satellites.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianmu-1 07-10

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
July 20, 2023, 3:20 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Longjiang 3

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
June 9, 2023, 2:35 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Low Earth Orbit prototype communication satellite by Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), to test a new satellite platform in the shape of a plate for future LEO communication satellite constellations uses.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianmu-1 03-06

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
March 22, 2023, 9:09 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park. 01 & 02 were launched on Galactic Energy’s Ceres-1 on January 9, 2023.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Shiyan 14 & Shiyan 15

ExPace | China
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 24, 2022, 10:55 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

2 Chinese classified satellites.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | CentiSpace-1 S3 & S4

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 6, 2022, 2:24 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

CentiSpace-1 S3 and S4 are Chinese commercial small satellites by Beijing-based company Future Navigation for providing GNSS augmentation signals services from LEO. They are precursors to a planned 160 satellites constellation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Chuangxin-16

ExPace | China
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Aug. 23, 2022, 2:36 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

2 satellites of unknown purposes built by Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Tianxing-1

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
June 22, 2022, 2:08 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Satellite reported as for "spatial environment measurement" purposes. Actual usage TBD.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | GeeSat x2

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 15, 2021, 2 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Commercial navigation satellites for automobile navigation.

Low Earth Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Shiyan 11

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Nov. 24, 2021, 11:41 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Unknown Chinese satellite reported for technology development purposes.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Jilin-1-02F

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Oct. 27, 2021, 6:19 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Jilin-1 is a series of Chinese commercial remote sensing satellites.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Jilin-1-02D

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 27, 2021, 6:19 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Jilin-1 is a series of Chinese commercial remote sensing satellites.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Jilin-1-02C

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 12, 2020, 5:02 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Jilin-1 is a series of Chinese commercial remote sensing satellites.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Xingyun-2 01, 02

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
May 12, 2020, 1:16 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Xingyun-2 01 and 02 are the first two satellites of the planned low Earth orbit constellation being built by Xingyun Satellite company, whichi is a subsidiary of CASIC. These satellites will be used to provide Internet of Things (IoT) communications services. Xingyun constellation is planned to consist of 156 satellites in total.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Yinhe-1

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Jan. 16, 2020, 3:02 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Yinhe 1 is technology demonstration mission for the planned 144 satellite global 5G communications constellation which is to be built by Chinese Galaxy Space company.

Polar Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | HEAD-2A, 2B & Tianyi-16, 17 & Tianqi-4A, 4B

ExPace | China
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 7, 2019, 8:52 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Unknown Mission

There are no mission or payload details available for this launch.

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Kuaizhou 1A | Jilin-1-02B

ExPace | China
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Dec. 7, 2019, 2:55 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Jilin-1 is a series of Chinese commercial remote sensing satellites.

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Kuaizhou 1A | KL-Alpha

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Nov. 17, 2019, 10 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Unknown Mission

There are no mission or payload details available for this launch.

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Kuaizhou 1A | Jilin-1-02A

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Nov. 13, 2019, 3:40 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Jilin-1 is a series of Chinese commercial remote sensing satellites.

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Kuaizhou 1A | KX-09 & TY-1-07 (Xiaoxiang-1-07)

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Aug. 30, 2019, 11:41 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Developed by the DFH Satellite Co., the microgravity experimental satellite KX-09 (supposedly Kuxue-09) will conduct studies in microgravity. Established in August 2001, DFH Satellite Co., Ltd. is mainly engaged in system R&D, design, integration and in-orbit service of small satellites. It is subordinated to China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and wholly owned by the listed company China Spacesat Co., Ltd. Xiaoxiang 1-07 (TY 1-07) is a small satellite developed by SpaceTY, possibly a CubeSat-2U. As one of the first commercial aerospace companies in China, “Spacety” specializes in developing commercial micro/nanosatellites. The company aims to provide short-cycle, low-cost and one-stop services to scientists, research institutes, and commercial companies, for science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Centispace-1-S1

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Sept. 29, 2018, 4:13 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

CentiSpace-1-S1 is an experimental satellite to test navigation and and positioning enhancement system being developed by Beijing Future Navigation Technology Co., Ltd.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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Kuaizhou 1A | Multiple payloads

ExPace | China
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Jan. 9, 2017, 4:11 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Lingqiao (or known as Jilin 1) is a small remote sensing satellite designed to capture videos with a ground resolution of 1.3 m. This is a third satellite of the Lingqiao series.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
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