OrienSpace raises pre-C round, preps IPO for reusable Gravity-2 rocket
The Chinese launch startup closed a pre-C funding round and began IPO coaching while pushing Gravity-2 toward a Q4 debut.
what happened
OrienSpace closed a pre-C funding round worth several hundred million yuan from investors including Vertex Capital, Shanghai STVC, AVIC Honghua, and Yuanyou Ruize, and began preparations for an IPO coaching process, per SpaceNews and China's Securities Times (stcn.com). The funds go toward developing and producing Gravity-2, a two-stage reusable liquid-propellant rocket 70 meters long and 4.2 meters in diameter, capable of carrying 21,500 kilograms to low Earth orbit expended or 17,000 kilograms with the first stage recovered. OrienSpace is targeting Gravity-2's first launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, having previously targeted late 2025.
why it matters
A pre-IPO funding round tied directly to Gravity-2's development funds one of several Chinese reusable heavy-lift contenders racing toward a first flight, and an eventual IPO filing would make OrienSpace one of the first commercial Chinese launch-vehicle makers to test public markets, a step other Chinese launch startups pursuing STAR Market listings will be watched against.
for who
Chinese commercial launch investors and competing reusable-rocket developers
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- OrienSpace
- Category
- financial
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-05
- Published
- 2026-08-07 00:51 UTC