China Lijian-2 Commercial Rocket: Modular Design for Mass Production—Designer
Modular and universal design enables efficient production and launch for Lijian-2 (Kinetica-2) carrier rockets, said a designer as a Lijian-2 Y1 carrier rocket with three satellites onboard blasted off at 19:00 (Beijing Time) from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China and sent the satellites into the planned orbit on March 30, 2026.
With a low Earth orbit payload capacity of 12 tonnes, the rocket is fully equipped to meet the demands of space station cargo missions. However, for commercial spaceflight, high payload capacity alone is not enough. The Lijian-2 is able to deliver impressive performance thanks to its design innovations.
A closer look at the Lijian-2 reveals that its core stage and two boosters appear nearly identical. This is no coincidence but a deliberate "universal" design known as the "universal booster core" configuration. This approach allows major components of the rocket to be mass-produced, significantly streamlining the manufacturing process.
"From the very beginning of its design, the Lijian-2 followed a philosophy of large quantity and mass production. That is why the appearance of the rocket’s units is highly similar. The critical feature of this rocket is that the core stage and the boosters are designed to be identical in configuration," said Lian Jie, deputy chief designer of Lijian-2 carrier rocket of CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
According to Lian, the greatest advantages of this design lie in its flexibility and efficiency. If a component encounters an issue, it can be quickly replaced like a standard part—a key feature that supports the development of high-frequency launch capability.
"If a problem occurs during the launch, we can quickly take a booster produced in the same batch to replace the faulty one, so as to ensure a smooth launch as scheduled," he said.
Developed by Chinese commercial space firm CAS Space, Lijian-2 is China's first to adopt a Common Booster Core (CBC) configuration. The Lijian-2 is a medium-lift, liquid-fuel rocket and the second launch vehicle developed by CAS Space, following the Lijian-1. It is the company's first liquid-propellant rocket, and is tasked with supporting China's large-scale satellite deployment and low-cost cargo transportation for the China Space Station.
Duration: 52 seconds
Release Date: March 31, 2026
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