CASC

SState-Owned (SASAC)Founded 1999🇨🇳Beijing, China

CEO

Wu Yansheng (Chairman)

Data verified as of Jul 11, 2026

Summary

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the state-owned prime contractor for China's space program and the world's most prolific launch organization by missions flown. Wholly owned by the central government through SASAC, it develops and operates the Long March (Changzheng) rocket family — which flew its 650th cumulative mission on June 11, 2026 — along with the Shenzhou crewed spacecraft, Tianzhou cargo vehicles, the Tiangong space station, BeiDou navigation and GuoWang broadband satellites, the Chang'e lunar and Tianwen planetary probes, and China's strategic missiles. After a national-record 73 launches in 2025, CASC is targeting over 100 launches in 2026 amid an industry-wide national push toward ~140, debuted the partially reusable Long March 12B in June 2026, and saw its Tianwen-2 probe reach the quasi-moon asteroid Kamo'oalewa on June 7, 2026. On July 10, 2026 it made China the second nation ever to recover an orbital rocket first stage, when the new single-stick, partially reusable Long March 10B flew its maiden mission from Hainan and captured its booster in a sea-based net — a landmark step toward closing the reusability gap with SpaceX. It is preparing to fly Chang'e 7 to the lunar south pole no earlier than August 2026 while advancing the triple-core Long March 10 toward a crewed Moon landing before 2030.

Company OverviewRead the long-form profile of CASC

Main Products

Long March 2F

Active

Human-rated medium-lift rocket and the only Chinese launch vehicle cleared to carry astronauts, flying Shenzhou crews to the Tiangong station.

Operational from Jiuquan; has flown every Chinese crewed mission since 2003 with a perfect human-spaceflight record, including the 2025-2026 Shenzhou rotations.

Payload to LEO8,400 kg

Height62 m (203 ft)

PropellantUDMH / N2O4 (hypergolic)

Crewed Missions Flown15+ (since Shenzhou 5, 2003)

Long March 5 / 5B

Active

China's most powerful operational rocket; the heavy-lift workhorse that launches Tiangong station modules (5B), Chang'e and Tianwen deep-space missions, and large GEO satellites.

Operational since its 2016 maiden flight from Wenchang; selected to launch the Chang'e-7 lunar south-pole mission in the second half of 2026.

Payload to LEO25,000 kg

Payload to GTO14,000 kg

Diameter5.0 m (16 ft)

PropellantLOX/kerosene + LOX/LH2

First FlightNovember 2016

Long March 7

Active

Kerolox medium-lift rocket designed as a next-generation workhorse; launches Tianzhou cargo freighters to the Tiangong space station.

Operational from Wenchang since 2016, providing routine Tianzhou cargo resupply for China's crewed program.

Payload to LEO13,500 kg

PropellantLOX / kerosene

Primary RoleTianzhou cargo to Tiangong

First Flight2016

Long March 8 / 8A

Active

Lower-cost commercial medium-lift rocket optimized for sun-synchronous and constellation deployment, central to China's GuoWang and other satellite-internet build-out.

The base Long March 8 debuted in December 2020; the upgraded 8A first flew in February 2025 and flew the 600th Long March mission in October 2025 deploying GuoWang satellites.

Payload to LEO8,100 kg

Payload to SSO (700 km)5,000 kg (8A: 7,000 kg)

PropellantLOX/kerosene + LOX/LH2

First FlightDec 2020 (8A: Feb 2025)

Long March 10

In Development

Partially reusable super-heavy-lift rocket for the crewed lunar program, designed to separately launch the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lander to trans-lunar injection.

Completed a successful low-altitude flight and Mengzhou abort test on February 11, 2026. The single-stick, partially reusable cargo/LEO variant (Long March 10B) flew its maiden mission on July 10, 2026 and recovered its first stage in a sea-based net — China's first orbital booster recovery. The crewed single-stick Long March 10A orbital debut (Mengzhou 1) is expected in late 2026 and the triple-core variant in 2027, targeting a crewed Moon landing before 2030.

Payload to LEO70,000 kg

Payload to TLI27,000 kg

Height92.5 m (303 ft)

Engines21 x YF-100K (triple-core)

ReusabilityFirst stage (partially reusable)

Target Crewed Lunar LandingBefore 2030

Long March 9

In Development

Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle in development — a Starship-class methalox design intended for mega-constellations, lunar and Mars cargo, and future crewed deep-space missions.

Design centers on a reusable methalox first stage with 30 YF-215 engines. First flight is currently targeted around 2033.

Payload to LEO150,000 kg (reusable)

Height114 m (374 ft)

Diameter10.6 m (35 ft)

PropellantMethalox (hydrolox upper stage)

Target First Flight~2033

Shenzhou

Active

China's crewed spacecraft, ferrying three taikonauts at a time to the Tiangong station; built by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

Operational crew vehicle since 2003; Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 crew rotations to Tiangong are planned during 2026.

Crew Capacity3

First Crewed Flight2003 (Shenzhou 5)

Launch VehicleLong March 2F

Primary RoleTiangong crew rotation

What's Next

Reflight the recovered Long March 10B booster

Having achieved China's first orbital first-stage recovery on the Long March 10B's July 10, 2026 maiden flight (sea-based net capture), refurbish and reflight the recovered booster before the end of 2026 — the step that turns a one-off recovery demonstration into genuine operational reusability and the clearest proof CASC has matched the core SpaceX capability. Scale toward routine reuse across the reusable Long March fleet (10B and 12B).

By end of 2026 (first reflight)

Long March 10 toward a crewed Moon landing

Fly the single-stick Long March 10A on its first orbital mission (Mengzhou 1) in late 2026 and the full triple-core vehicle in 2027, then conduct the two launches needed to land Chinese astronauts on the Moon before 2030.

Late 2026 (10A orbital debut); 2030 (crewed landing)

Chang'e-7 and Tianwen sample-return missions

Launch Chang'e-7 to the lunar south pole on a Long March 5 from Wenchang — spacecraft arrived at the launch site in April 2026 and launch is targeted no earlier than August 2026. Tianwen-2 reached the asteroid Kamo'oalewa on June 7, 2026 and is to collect ~100 g of regolith (sampling targeted July 2026) for return around late 2026/early 2027, building toward the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return.

NET August 2026 (Chang'e-7); July 2026 sampling (Tianwen-2)

Mature the fully reusable Long March 9

Develop the super-heavy, fully reusable Long March 9 for mega-constellation deployment and crewed deep-space missions later in the decade, with first flight targeted around 2033.

Late 2020s+

Recent News

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Jul 12

China recovers a rocket booster for the first time with Long March 10B

On July 10, state contractor CASC flew the maiden mission of its new single-stick, partially reusable Long March 10B from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site and, about 11 minutes after liftoff, recovered the rocket's first stage on a sea-based platform using a net-capture system — China's first-ever controlled recovery of an orbital-class booster. The feat makes China the second country after the United States to demonstrate first-stage recovery, and the first to do it via net capture rather than landing legs. CASC said it aims to refurbish and refly the recovered booster before the end of 2026, a step toward closing the reusability gap with SpaceX.

Jun 26

China sets Long March 10B debut with first sea-recovery attempt

CASC scheduled the maiden flight of its reusable Long March 10B from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, with a launch window opening July 10 (0500-0900 UTC) and daily backups through July 13. The two-stage kerolox vehicle, a cargo variant of the crewed Long March 10A, will attempt to recover its first stage downrange on the 'Linghangzhe' barge using grid fins and an arrestor-net capture system. It would be China's third orbital first-stage sea-recovery attempt, after LandSpace's Zhuque-3 and a CASC/SAST Long March 12A last December.

Jun 25

China's Long March 7A returns to flight with classified satellite

A CASC Long March 7A lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site at 02:10 UTC on June 23, placing the classified TJSW-26A (Communication Technology Experimental Satellite-26A) into geostationary transfer orbit. It was the rocket's first flight since a January 2026 third-stage propulsion failure grounded both the Long March 7A and its structural sibling the Long March 3B, which itself returned to flight on June 16 — a sequence confirming CASC has resolved the upper-stage fault. The mission was the 16th Long March 7A flight and the 653rd launch of the Long March family.

Jun 20

China's Long March 3B returns to flight after January failure

A Long March 3B/E rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on June 16 and successfully placed the Shijian-31 space-environment-monitoring satellite into orbit, returning the workhorse booster to flight after a five-month grounding. The launcher had been sidelined since a rare January 17 failure in which a third-stage anomaly lost the Shijian-32 payload during a burn toward geostationary orbit. The mission was the 651st flight of China's Long March rocket family.

Jun 7

Qianfan crosses 200 satellites with back-to-back launches

Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology's Qianfan megaconstellation crossed the 200-satellite mark on June 5 after CASC put up 36 satellites in 19 hours — a Long March 6A from Taiyuan on June 4 and a Long March 8 from Wenchang on June 5, each carrying 18 SSST-built spacecraft. SSST said the milestone is enough to begin supporting maritime Automatic Identification System services and accelerates buildout of China's flagship answer to Starlink, though Qianfan still needs to roughly triple its in-orbit fleet by year-end to hit its 324-satellite initial global coverage target.

Qianfan (Spacesail)

Operations & Revenue

StatusOperational

Fully operational as the prime contractor for China's space program. After a national-record 73 launches in 2025, CASC is on track to exceed 100 launches in 2026 amid a national push toward ~140 launches industry-wide. The headline 2026 milestone came on July 10, when the maiden flight of the single-stick, partially reusable Long March 10B recovered its first stage in a sea-based net — China's first orbital booster recovery and the second such capability worldwide, with a reflight of the recovered stage planned before year-end. Other 2026 milestones include the debut of the partially reusable Long March 12B (June 1), Tianzhou 10 cargo resupply (May 11), Shenzhou 23 — the first crewed mission with a Hong Kong astronaut and a year-long in-orbit stay (May 24), and Tianwen-2's June 7 arrival at the quasi-moon asteroid Kamo'oalewa. The Long March series flew its 650th cumulative launch (Long March 5, TJS-25) on June 11. Chang'e 7 is targeting a lunar south pole launch no earlier than August 2026, and the triple-core crewed Long March 10 is advancing toward a first orbital flight (Mengzhou 1) planned for late 2026.

Revenue Streams

Long March Launch Services

Government, civil, and commercial orbital launches on the Long March family, including international commercial launches marketed through subsidiary China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

Satellite Manufacturing

Design and production of BeiDou navigation, GuoWang broadband, Gaofen/Yaogan Earth-observation, and communications satellites through academies such as CAST and SAST.

Human Spaceflight & Space Station

Shenzhou crewed spacecraft, Tianzhou cargo freighters, and the Tiangong space station systems and operations for China's crewed program.

Deep-Space & Lunar Programs

Chang'e lunar exploration, Tianwen planetary probes, and the crewed lunar-landing program built around the Long March 10, Mengzhou spacecraft, and Lanyue lander.

Strategic & Defense Systems

China's intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles and other defense and missile-system products developed across CASC's academies.

Key Metrics

Employees

~170,000

Est. Annual Revenue

Not separately disclosed by year; reported at roughly CN¥294B (~$46B) as a state-owned enterprise

2025 Orbital Launches

73 (national record)

Long March Cumulative Launches

653+ (653rd on June 23, 2026)

First Orbital Booster Recovery

July 10, 2026 (Long March 10B, sea-based net capture)

Spacecraft Delivered by Long March

~1,400+

Share of China's Launches

~86% of all national missions

Employees

~170,000

Ownership

Wholly state-owned (SASAC)

Timeline

2026Long March 10 low-altitude flight test

On February 11, 2026, CASC conducts a successful low-altitude flight test of the Long March 10 alongside a max-dynamic-pressure abort test of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft at Wenchang — a pivotal step toward landing astronauts on the Moon before 2030.

2026Tianzhou 10 cargo resupply to Tiangong

On May 11, 2026, a Long March 7 Y11 rocket launches the Tianzhou 10 cargo spacecraft from Wenchang, delivering approximately 7 tonnes of supplies, experiments, and equipment to the Tiangong space station, where it docks at 13:11 Beijing Time.

2026Shenzhou 23 crew launched — first Hong Kong astronaut

On May 24, 2026, a Long March 2F lifts off from Jiuquan carrying commander Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Li Jiaying — China's first astronaut from Hong Kong — on the 17th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 11th flight to the Chinese Space Station. The mission is China's first where one crew member is assigned to a yearlong in-orbit stay.

2026Long March 12B reusable rocket maiden flight

On June 1, 2026, CASC's new partially reusable Long March 12B lifts off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone at Jiuquan and successfully delivers two Qianfan broadband satellites to orbit on its maiden mission. The 72-meter, 4.37-meter-diameter vehicle uses nine YF-102R kerolox engines on its first stage and is rated for 20 tonnes to LEO; first-stage propulsive recovery is planned for a later test.

2026Long March 648th mission

On June 4, 2026, a Long March 6A Y25 lofts 18 Qianfan satellites from Taiyuan, marking the 648th flight mission of the Long March series carrier rockets.

2026Tianwen-2 reaches quasi-moon asteroid Kamo'oalewa

On June 7, 2026, CASC/CNSA's Tianwen-2 spacecraft arrives at the near-Earth quasi-satellite asteroid (469219) Kamo'oalewa after a year of cruise, beginning a months-long survey campaign ahead of sample collection targeted for July 2026. The mission will attempt both anchor-and-attach and touch-and-go sampling — the first anchor-and-attach attempt at an asteroid — with a sample-return capsule to land in Inner Mongolia around late 2026.

2026650th Long March launch

On June 11, 2026, a Long March 5 (Y11) lifts off from Wenchang carrying the TJS-25 communications-technology-validation satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, marking the 650th launch of the Long March series — reached just ~8 months after the 600th, underscoring the family's accelerating cadence.

2026Long March 7A returns to flight after January failure

On June 23, 2026, a Long March 7A lifts off from Wenchang at 02:10 UTC and places the classified TJSW-26A (Communication Technology Experimental Satellite-26A) into geostationary transfer orbit. It is the vehicle's 16th flight and its first since a January 2026 third-stage propulsion failure grounded both the Long March 7A and its sibling Long March 3B (which returned to flight June 16), confirming CASC has resolved the upper-stage fault. The mission is the 653rd launch of the Long March series.

2026Long March 10B maiden flight — China's first orbital booster recovery

On July 10, 2026, CASC flew the maiden mission of the Long March 10B from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, delivering an undisclosed satellite to orbit and — about 11 minutes after liftoff — recovering the vehicle's first stage on a sea-based platform via a net-capture system, using four 'landing hooks' to catch the net. It was China's first-ever controlled recovery of an orbital launch vehicle's first stage, making China the second country after the United States to master booster recovery and the first to do so with a net-capture technique. The 63-meter, 5-meter-diameter single-stick 10B (a partially reusable cargo/LEO variant of the crewed Long March 10) has seven YF-100K kerolox first-stage engines and lifts ~16 tonnes to LEO in reusable mode; CASC plans to reflight the recovered booster before the end of 2026.

2025600th Long March launch

On October 16, 2025 a Long March 8A flies the 600th Long March mission, deploying a group of GuoWang internet satellites. By this milestone the family had delivered about 1,400 spacecraft and conducted roughly 86% of all China's space launches.

2025Record 73 orbital launches

CASC sets a national record with 73 orbital launches in 2025 (69 Long March plus four Jielong-3), deploying over 300 spacecraft — a 43% jump over its 51 launches in 2024.

2024Chang'e 6 returns far-side lunar samples

Chang'e 6 returns the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon in June 2024, a world first for any space program.

2022Tiangong space station completed

The Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules launch in 2022, completing the three-module Tiangong station and establishing a permanent Chinese crewed presence in orbit.

2021Tiangong station begins & Mars landing

A Long March 5B lofts the Tianhe core module to begin assembly of the Tiangong space station, and the Tianwen-1 mission lands the Zhurong rover on Mars — China's first.

2020Chang'e 5 lunar sample return & Long March 8 debut

Chang'e 5 returns the first Chinese lunar samples in December 2020, and the lower-cost commercial Long March 8 flies its maiden mission that same month.

2016Long March 5 heavy-lift maiden flight

The 25-tonne-class Long March 5 debuts in November 2016, giving China the heavy-lift capacity needed for its space station modules, lunar sample return, and interplanetary probes.

2003China's first human spaceflight

A CASC Shenzhou 5 capsule carries Yang Liwei to orbit atop a Long March 2F on October 15, 2003, making China the third nation to launch a human into space independently.

1999Founded

CASC is established on July 1, 1999 as a state-owned enterprise from the restructuring of the former China Aerospace Corporation, becoming the prime contractor for China's space program.

Funding

Round	Date	Amount	Investors	Source
State ownership	1999–present	Wholly state-owned	Government of China via the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC)
Corporate restructuring	2017	Limited liability conversion	Restructured into a limited liability company under SASAC in December 2017