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Chinese firm’s Lixun-1 ‘space tug’ eyes maiden flight in Q1 2027 after key propulsion tests_我的网站

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    The general assembly of the Lixun-1 upper stage Photo: Courtesy of CAS Space
    The Lixun-1 upper stage Photo: Courtesy of CAS Space
Lixun-1 upper stage, a versatile "space tug" developed by China's commercial space firm CAS Space, is scheduled to make its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2027 after completing a series of key propulsion-system tests, the developer and its chief designer told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The "tug" is designed to ferry satellites from one orbit to another and support missions ranging from constellation deployment to lunar exploration. 
While the main stages of a rocket carry payloads from the ground into an initial orbit, an upper stage takes over once the craft is in space. By repeatedly restarting its engine and changing orbit, Lixun-1 can deliver satellites to higher or different orbits, distribute multiple spacecraft to separate destinations during a single launch, or send probes onto trajectories toward the moon and beyond, Global Times learned from the developer.
Yang Haoliang, chief designer of the Lixun-1 upper stage, compared the system to a shuttle service. "If the regular stages of a launch vehicle are like a long-distance bus," - they carry the upper stage and satellites from Earth to a near-Earth parking orbit - the upper stage then takes over as a "space tug," carrying its satellite "passengers" onward to their designated orbital "stops," Yang explained. 
That capability can have a direct impact on how efficiently satellites are launched and operated, Yang said. If a satellite has to climb from an initial orbit to its final destination using its own engine, the process can consume a considerable amount of onboard propellant and reduce the fuel available during its operational life. An upper stage can instead perform that orbital transfer, helping conserve satellite fuel and potentially extend its service life.
It can also make one rocket launch do more work. Instead of releasing a batch of satellites into roughly the same orbit, Lixun-1 can repeatedly ignite its engine and maneuver between deployments, sending different satellites to different altitudes and inclinations. Yang said this would help accelerate constellation deployment while improving the efficiency of individual launches.
The practical ambitions behind the system are backed by a major technical milestone reached this month. In August, Lixun-1 completed its PV-001 integrated propulsion-system coordination firing test, during which the entire system operated smoothly for 566 seconds.  
Yang told the Global Times that the current Lixun-1 upper stage has a thrust of 20 kilonewtons and can achieve a specific impulse of 315 seconds, which he described as reaching an internationally leading level. The August firing covered the planned profile for the maiden mission, an important step before the system proceeds to flight testing.
The test was more than a demonstration of the engine itself. As an important system-level verification during development, it examined the coordination and engineering reliability of the engine pressurization system, propellant delivery system, propellant management system and servo-control system under the fully integrated configuration.
Of a series of tests that accumulated 5,211 seconds of firing time, the latest one focused on three core technologies: a high-thrust, high-performance 20-kilonewton upper-stage engine capable of multiple starts; balanced propellant delivery from multiple parallel tanks; and a highly reliable integrated electrical system. Their successful verification means Lixun-1 has completed its system-level testing and is ready to move into the flight-test phase, according to the developer.
Lixun-1 has been designed as a modular and generally adaptable upper stage rather than a system tied to only one rocket. It is intended to work with CAS Space's Kinetica-2 and Kinetica-2 heavy-lift variants as well as other launch vehicles, Yang said.
When paired with the Kinetica-2 family, Lixun-1 could significantly expand the rocket's mission range. For communications missions, it could deliver satellites to geosynchronous transfer orbit or even directly to geosynchronous orbit, conserving satellite propellant while supporting the deployment of high-throughput satellites and future 6G communications spacecraft.
For multi-satellite missions, the combination could distribute spacecraft to different orbital altitudes and inclinations during a single launch, potentially serving both low-Earth-orbit constellations and medium- or high-orbit payloads. For deep-space missions, it could place probes onto Earth-moon transfer trajectories and support lunar exploration, Yang said.
The upper stage is designed to be able to conduct more than 20 engine ignitions, autonomously plan orbital-transfer routes and operate under the vacuum and extreme temperature conditions of space. After completing payload deployment, it can also carry out orbital disposal maneuvers to reduce space-debris risks.
Yang said the Lixun-1 and Kinetica-2 combination is designed to cover the vast majority of commercial satellite launch requirements while retaining the ability to participate in major national space projects. More broadly, the upper stage forms part of CAS Space's effort to build launch capabilities reaching medium and high Earth orbits and deep space, extending the reach of China's commercial space sector toward higher orbits and more distant destinations.
。    美国友人“赛考斯”时隔20余年重返中国：我回到了我的第二个家；感谢中国，让我成为更好的人；将与殷玉珍重逢          　　应中国教育国际交流协会邀请，支持中国治沙事业的美国友人“赛考斯”(本名罗纳德·萨科尔斯基)23日凌晨抵达北京。他将于8月23日至9月1日访问北京、内蒙古、河南三地，再续一段跨越山海的中美民间友谊。

二 |          　　“我回来了”          　　27年前，在中国洛阳市当外教的“赛考斯”从电视新闻中看到中国妇女殷玉珍种树治沙。小小的善意种子就此萌发，5000美元捐款跨越重洋与漫长时光，一片黄沙化成5万棵树组成的绿海。27年后，殷玉珍通过社交媒体跨洋寻找当年的友人，让她记忆中的“赛考斯”和一段中美友谊佳话重新进入公众视野。

三 |                    8月23日凌晨，支持中国治沙事业的美国友人“赛考斯”(本名罗纳德·萨科尔斯基)抵达北京首都国际机场。

四 | 中新社记者 富田 摄          　　此次，时隔20余年再度来到中国，“赛考斯”用中文说出“我回来了”。

五 | 他告诉记者，“当飞机着陆时，我意识到，我回到了我的第二个家，我将看到我的‘家人’”。         　　此次抵京，经过十余小时跨洋飞行的“赛考斯”难掩激动，他直言自己感慨万千，丝毫没有疲惫之感。对他来说，此行就像是一个快乐的小孩在过圣诞节。

六 | 他想去看看殷玉珍，看看森林，也想见到昔日的学生和同事，这是他从未想过会实现的梦想。

七 |          　　“赛考斯”坦言，自己从未想过当时资助种植的树会变成森林，想对殷玉珍说声谢谢，她让中国更加美丽。

八 | 他还透露，行李箱里面有他精心为中国朋友准备的礼物。         　　过去20余年，“赛考斯”一直关注着中国的变化，他曾在受访时表示，过去几十年中国开展的荒漠化防治项目是一个规模巨大的工程，“中国人民因为热爱祖国而愿意作出牺牲，很了不起”。         　　“美中可以共建和平世界”          　　对于和殷玉珍的重逢，“赛考斯”早有期待。他在今年7月时曾表示，见面后，他首先要给殷玉珍一个大大的拥抱，再和她一起种下一棵新树。                   8月23日凌晨，支持中国治沙事业的美国友人“赛考斯”(本名罗纳德·萨科尔斯基)抵达北京首都国际机场。中新社记者 富田 摄          　　在“赛考斯”看来，这棵树是美中两个普通人之间的连结，也是美中民间友好的一个例证。

九 | 他曾说，“如果一个来自美国宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡的普通老师，能够因为一次偶然的机会，认识中国沙漠里一位普通的治沙女性，并共同创造出今天这样一个关于5万棵树的故事。那么100个人能创造什么？我们不一定把它叫作‘树’，可以叫作——人与人之间的联系。”          　　实际上，在中国的生活经历一直深深影响着“赛考斯”，他曾在接受中新社记者专访时表示，“中国教会我的，都是生活中最简单、却也是最重要的东西。中国让我学会尊重，还教会了我什么是真正的友谊。这些东西，会陪伴我一辈子。”          　　23日凌晨抵达北京时，他将自己与殷玉珍的缘分描述为“一段由上天书写的故事”。

十 | “我只是扮演好自己的角色，殷玉珍才是真正的英雄。这是故事的一个篇章。即将要去的那片森林，将会是全新的篇章。

十一 | ”          　　“赛考斯”说，等到这次行程结束，他希望可以向世界传递一个信号：美中两国是可以携手合作，共建和平世界的。

十二 | “把关注点放在两国共通之处，我们就能够建设更美好的世界。”          　　记者：李京泽 周昕迟瀚宇 富田          　　编辑：丁宝秀          　　审校：魏园          　　责编：马学玲          　　(中新社微信公众号)                【编辑:刘欢】。

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