Chinese commercial space firm CAS Space is all set for a crucial first launch of its new Kinetica 2 rocket as soon as next month, amid intense competition inside the country.
Kinetica 2 is CAS Space's first orbital liquid propellant rocket, marking a huge leap in ambition from the smaller and less complex Kinetica 1 (or Lijian 1) solid rocket. After hot-fire testing of the rocket's first stage in recent months, the Kinetica 2 (Lijian 2) is now ready for launch from Jiuquan in northwest China, following clearance from the spaceport's authorities, which is likely to come only after the launch of the Shenzhou 21 crewed mission to China's Tiangong space station around late October.
