The Technological Innovations and Development Prospects of Kinetica-2 Launch Vehicle
- Paper ID
98181
- DOI
- author
- company
CAS Space
- country
China
- year
2025
- abstract
To meet the construction demands of missions such as low-orbit internet communication constellations and low-cost cargo transportation systems for the space station, CAS Space has developed China's first medium-sized liquid launch vehicle based on the Common Booster Core (CBC) configuration, with length of 52 meters and liftoff weight of 625 tons. Utilizing innovative technologies like the collaborative design of CBC rocket and satellites, the translational separation of a large 4.2-meter diameter fairing, and the design and manufacture of cost-effective tanks and structural sections. These advancements enable the rocket to achieve a structural coefficient of no less than 0.92, a single-use low Earth orbit (LEO) payload capacity of over 12 tons, a stacked satellite arrangement capacity of at least 36 satellites per launch, and a launch preparation cycle of no more than 10 days. For the first time, a clustered first-stage recovery scheme has been proposed, with a reusable LEO payload capacity of at least 8 tons and a reuse capability of over 20 cycles. This paper details the technological innovations of this rocket and the development prospects of its family.