Expace

Expace Technology (ExPace), established around 2016 and headquartered in Wuhan, China, is a commercial launch services subsidiary of CASIC (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation) — one of China's two major state-owned defense rocket corporations — operating the Kuaizhou (快舟, meaning "fast ship") family of solid-fueled small launch vehicles designed for rapid, responsive satellite deployment from mobile TEL (transporter-erector-launcher) platforms.

Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) is Expace's primary operational vehicle: a four-stage solid-fueled rocket approximately 20 meters tall capable of launching 200 kg to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit. The mobile launch platform design eliminates dependence on fixed launch infrastructure, theoretically enabling launch from any prepared site within 72 hours of order — a "responsive launch" capability attractive to military customers needing rapid satellite replacement after a conflict event. KZ-1A has conducted commercial rideshare missions from the Taiyuan and Jiuquan launch centers, carrying commercial EO satellites, IoT constellations, and technology demonstration payloads.

Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) is a larger vehicle in the same family, targeting approximately 1,000 kg to 700 km SSO, intended to bridge between KZ-1A's small-sat capacity and CASC's Long March 6/7 medium-lift vehicles for growing Chinese commercial constellation demand.

Expace's market position is unique: as a CASIC subsidiary it has access to military-grade solid rocket motor technology and supply chains that give it potentially more reliable performance than fully private Chinese launch startups, while the commercial subsidiary structure enables competitive pricing and flexible commercial contracts. Expace competes domestically with Galactic Energy (Ceres-1), iSpace, and CAS Space, and positions KZ-1A's responsive launch capability as differentiated from the fixed-infrastructure launchers dominating the commercial market.