Kinetica (launch vehicles)

History

2024: Explosion after launch

At the end of December 2024, the Chinese company CAS Space failed during the test launch of the Kinetica-1 launch vehicle, which was destroyed by the security system three seconds after launch due to a malfunction of the third stage engine.

According to TASS, the launch was carried out on December 27, 2024 at 04:03 Moscow time from the Dongfeng training ground in North China. The company's management apologized for the failure and promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

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Фото: cas-space.com

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration says the rocket was supposed to put 11 satellites into orbit, including a prototype of a return vehicle Dier-3 the Chinese company AZSpace and the French CASAA-Sat cubsat.

Kinetica-1, also known as the Lijian-1, is a 31-meter long four-stage solid-fuel rocket with a fairing diameter of 3.35 meters. The carrier is capable of delivering up to 2 tons of cargo to low Earth orbit or 1.5 tons to solar-synchronous orbit.

China is actively developing a national space program, creating meteorological, telecommunications and navigation satellites. There is a Chinese space station in orbit, open to international cooperation.

China carried out 67 space launches in 2023. In 2024, it was planned to increase their number to 100. The country is also developing technologies for the exploration of the moon and expanding the capabilities of its orbital grouping.

CAS Space has announced its intention to analyze the causes of the accident to ensure the success of future missions. The investigation program includes the study of telemetry data and the operation of all launch vehicle systems.^[1]

Notes