Expace is a Chinese commercial launch service provider and a subsidiary of state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) that develops the Kuaizhou series of solid rockets. Its core product is the Kuaizhou-1A light-lift solid rocket, which has flown since 2017; the firm has placed 23 satellites into orbit on 13 successful Kuaizhou-1A flights, while two missions have failed. The larger Kuaizhou-11 remains grounded after a lost test flight in 2020. Expace says it will use new capital for research and development and improvements to the Kuaizhou solid launch vehicle series and to develop key technologies for liquid-propellant launchers, including a methane–liquid oxygen engine. Activities are centered at the CASIC-led Wuhan National Aerospace Industrial Base, which is said to be capable of assembling and testing 20 solid rockets and producing 240 small satellites per year. The company is part of wider CASIC commercial projects spanning launch services, constellations and a reusable spaceplane.

Total raised

$237M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jun 2022