🔥36氪•Stalecollected in 22m
宇石空间完成5亿元A轮融资，加速可复用火箭研发
💡了解中国商业航天如何通过不锈钢制造与筷子回收技术，实现火箭运力成本的阶跃式下降。
⚡ 30-Second TL;DR
What Changed
完成5亿元A轮融资，累计融资额达10亿元
Why It Matters
该公司的低成本火箭方案将直接推动卫星互联网、太空算力等商业航天基础设施的建设，为太空经济提供更具经济可行性的运力支持。
What To Do Next
关注商业航天运力成本下降趋势，评估其对未来太空边缘计算与分布式卫星网络部署的影响。
Who should care:Founders & Product Leaders
Key Points
- •完成5亿元A轮融资，累计融资额达10亿元
- •采用“不锈钢箭体+液氧甲烷+筷子捕获”技术路线
- •湖南生产基地达产后具备年产8发火箭能力
- •目标将每公斤运力成本降至2万元以下
🧠 Deep Insight
Web-grounded analysis with 26 cited sources.
🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways
- •YuShi Space is the sole Chinese commercial aerospace company adopting the "stainless steel body + liquid oxygen methane + chopsticks capture" technology route, directly aligning with SpaceX's Starship development philosophy.
- •The AS-1 rocket boasts a low Earth orbit (LEO) payload capacity of 15.7 tons in expendable mode and 10 tons in reusable mode, with a total length of approximately 70 meters and a takeoff weight of around 570 tons.
- •The company plans to produce three AS-1 rockets in 2026, targeting its maiden flight in the first half of 2027 and subsequent commercial operations by the second half of 2027.
- •YuShi Space aims to achieve a reusable launch cost as low as 10,000 RMB per kilogram, significantly undercutting the current market average.
- •Founder and CEO Dr. Tang Wen, a Tsinghua University alumnus, is recognized as "China's first person in stainless steel rockets" and has extensive experience from the development of China's Long March 5 (CZ-5) and Long March 7 (CZ-7) rockets.
📊 Competitor Analysis▸ Show
| Feature/Company | 宇石空间 (YuShi Space) | 蓝箭航天 (LandSpace) Zhuque-3 | 星际荣耀 (i-Space) Hyperbola-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Name | AS-1 | Zhuque-3 | Hyperbola-3 |
| Propulsion | Liquid Oxygen Methane | Liquid Oxygen Methane | Liquid Oxygen Methane |
| Body Material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Not specified |
| Reusability Method | "Chopsticks" Capture Arm | Vertical Landing (1st stage recovery failed in Dec 2025, aims for Q2 2026 1st stage recovery) | Vertical Landing (aims for "in-orbit + sea recovery" by end of 2026) |
| LEO Payload (Reusable) | 10 tons | Target: 10-15 tons (for 20+ reuses) | Up to 14 tons |
| Target Reusable Cost | 10,000 RMB/kg | Below 20,000 RMB/kg | Not explicitly stated |
| Development Status | AS-1 second stage production, full-size capture arm ground verification completed (Dec 2025), first flight H1 2027. | Zhuque-3 first flight successful (Dec 2025) but 1st stage recovery failed. Aims for 1st stage recovery in Q2 2026. | Hyperbola-3 aims for first "in-orbit + sea recovery" flight by end of 2026. |
| Founding Year | 2024 | 2015 | 2016 |
🛠️ Technical Deep Dive
- Rocket Name: AS-1
- Total Length: Approximately 70 meters
- Body Diameter: 4.2 meters
- Takeoff Weight: Approximately 570 tons
- Propulsion: Liquid Oxygen Methane (LOX/Methane)
- Body Material: Stainless Steel
- LEO Payload Capacity (Expendable): 15.7 tons
- LEO Payload Capacity (Reusable): 10 tons
- Recovery Method: "Chopsticks" capture arm technology
- Ground verification of a full-size, 100-ton class capture arm prototype was completed in December 2025.
- This method is designed to reduce the rocket's dry mass by 4-6 tons compared to traditional landing leg systems.
- The capture arm incorporates multi-modal sensing and precise control technologies to stably capture a 100-ton class returning rocket in complex environments.
- Ground tests included simulating extreme scenarios such as high-altitude wind field disturbances and landing attitude deviations to verify structural strength and reliability.
- Manufacturing & Infrastructure:
- The AS-1's second-stage common bulkhead tank has been produced using 30X material and vertical assembly welding, achieving a tenfold cost advantage and production efficiency improvement over traditional aluminum alloy tanks.
- Welders for rocket production, often recruited from heavy industries like CRRC Zhuzhou, undergo approximately six months of specialized training.
- The Hunan production base in Zhuzhou spans about 54,000 square meters with a total investment of approximately 1.5 billion RMB.
- The company operates under an "one center, two bases" strategy, comprising a Beijing R&D center, a Hebei production and test base, and a Hunan production, assembly, and testing base.
- The Northern R&D center has expanded to over 4,000 square meters and includes a newly operational electrical integrated test center.
- An aviation electronics center and a capture arm ground joint test base are also under construction to complete the full industry chain.
🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources
Significant disruption to the commercial space launch market in China.
YuShi Space's aggressive cost reduction target (10,000 RMB/kg) and high production capacity (8 rockets/year) could drastically lower launch prices, making space access more affordable for various applications like satellite constellations, space solar power, and space computing.
Acceleration of China's low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation deployment.
The availability of low-cost, high-frequency reusable launch services is crucial for deploying and maintaining large-scale LEO satellite constellations, which are a strategic priority for China.
Establishment of a robust domestic supply chain for stainless steel rockets.
YuShi Space has actively cultivated a domestic supply chain for stainless steel rocket materials and processes, reducing reliance on external sources and fostering indigenous innovation in advanced manufacturing for aerospace.
⏳ Timeline
2024-05
Beijing YuShi Space Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. (宇石空间) founded.
2025-03
Completed Angel round funding (tens of millions RMB).
2025-09
YuShi Space Reusable Stainless Steel Liquid Launch Vehicle R&D Base in Zhuzhou, Hunan, commenced construction.
2025-12
Completed Pre-A round funding (over 100 million RMB) and ground verification of China's first full-size, 100-ton class "chopsticks" capture arm prototype.
2026-01
Delivered the first 70-meter class reusable stainless steel liquid launch vehicle AS-1 at the Hunan R&D base.
2026-05
Completed Series A round funding (500 million RMB), bringing cumulative funding to 1 billion RMB.
📎 Sources (26)
Factual claims are grounded in the sources below. Forward-looking analysis is AI-generated interpretation.
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Original source: 36氪 ↗