Kuaizhou lifts off successfully, places satellite in orbit

CASIC began to develop the Kuaizhou series in 2009 as a low-cost, quick-response product for the commercial space market. The company has built a manufacturing complex for the series at the 68.8-square-kilometer Wuhan National Space Industry Base in Central China's Hubei province. The factory has begun first-phase operations with an initial production capacity of 20 Kuaizhou-series rockets a year.

Preparations for the second launch attempt of the Kuaizhou 11, a new model developed by CASIC, is also underway. The rocket's first attempted launch from Jiuquan failed in July 2020.

The Kuaizhou 11 stands 25 meters tall, and has a diameter of 2.2 meters. With a liftoff weight of 78 metric tons, it will be able to place a 1-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers, according to its designers.

Once it becomes operational, it will be the most powerful solid-propellant carrier rocket in China. Currently, the strongest solid-propellant carrier rocket in the country is the Long March 11, which has a length of 20.8 meters, a diameter of 2 meters and a liftoff weight of 58 tons.