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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

A |     11月7日深夜，大连集装箱码头收到紧急通知，多艘大型油轮和矿石船将在大窑湾港区集中靠泊，届时“米兰马士基”轮原定的离港计划将受到影响，必须提前完成错峰作业，才能确保轮船按时离港。信息刚到，紧急方案便同步启动。增加开头量、重新分配作业资源、调整作业顺序，连夜抢装后，“米兰马士基”轮提前3小时完成6050标准箱装卸任务，按需离泊。    

    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.
。         　　保持作业“加速跑”、提升服务“含金量”，诸多这样的“夜场”撑起了辽宁港口集装箱海铁联运发运量的上扬曲线。今年1月至10月，辽港集装箱海铁联运发运量同比增长超17%，在港口集装箱总吞吐量中占比超10%，持续保持全国领先水平。         　　好服务，是吸引船企纷至沓来的“磁石”。大连港集发物流有限责任公司、辽宁沈哈红运物流有限公司作为辽港集装箱多式联运的两大运营主体，今年以来各自发力提升客户获得感。顺利实现海铁联运进一步降低成本是货源企业的需求，集发物流将大连—通辽海铁联运线路升级为往返公共精品班列，并相继开通大连—海伦、通辽北—大连、大石桥—大连、赤峰南—大连4条海铁联运线路，进一步完善了东北及蒙东地区的海铁联运服务网络。沈哈红运强化平台建设，为客户提供业务下单、全程跟踪、对账结算“一站式”服务，货物换装信息动态交互率达95.3%。

B |          　　高效率，是提高泊位使用率的重要保障。今年以来，沈哈红运不断优化场站资源配置，强化设备管用养修，科学组织生产，全力压缩非生产用时。集发物流通过升级现有设备，提高中转联运整体操作能力。同时，深化“船边直提”“抵港直装”作业模式，免去集装箱港区堆存、二次吊装和港内短途运输等中间环节，大幅压缩货物在港时间。         　　创模式，为客户提供新选择。集发物流联合口岸单位及船公司共同打造“一单到底、一箱到底”的便捷服务，业务流程压缩70%，并首次采用过境商品车“滚装海运+集装箱班列”联运模式，在大连与中亚间构建起高效便捷的全程物流通道。沈哈红运将班列与企业内部专用线直接对接，实现了固定车体循环运输，打造出“空重联运”循环班列服务品牌。         　　辽港集团目前集装箱海铁联运总线路达115条，发运量保持稳定增长。

C |                    责任编辑：刘春阳。

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