CAS Space launches Lijian-1 rocket carrying nine satellites including an AI-computing demo
CAS Space
The rideshare included Supercomputing-1, a satellite state media says processes imagery onboard with AI instead of downlinking raw data.
updates
- 2026-09-21The payload included the Qinling-01 and Qinling-02 satellites, Pujiang-4, the Pengcheng-branded PEGA-SUS1 technology demonstrator, the Diting-01 group A/B/C satellites, Yunxiao Pioneer, and the Supercomputing-1 (超智算一号) satellite, per Ten...
what happened
CAS Space's Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) Yao-18 rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone near Jiuquan on Sept. 20 at 04:03 UTC (12:03 Beijing time), carrying nine satellites to sun-synchronous orbit, per Launch Library 2, Tencent News and ifeng.com. The payload included the Qinling-01 and Qinling-02 satellites, Pujiang-4, the Pengcheng-branded PEGA-SUS1 technology demonstrator, the Diting-01 group A/B/C satellites, Yunxiao Pioneer, and the Supercomputing-1 (超智算一号) satellite, per Tencent News. Tencent News reported Supercomputing-1 carries a high-resolution optical payload plus onboard AI computing hardware intended for in-orbit processing of Earth-observation imagery, and said its developer bought naming rights to the entire rocket flight, which Tencent News described as a first for China's commercial computing sector. PEGA-SUS1, a roughly 150 kg satellite jointly developed by GalaxySpace, Pengcheng Laboratory and the Southern University of Science and Technology, carries a 5G non-terrestrial-network communications payload based on 3GPP standards, a high-speed laser communications payload for space-to-ground links, and an on-orbit computing payload, testing a "one satellite, multiple functions" integrated communication-sensing-intelligence-computing design, per CGTN.
why it matters
Onboard processing that returns only finished results instead of raw imagery, if it performs as described, would cut the data-delivery latency EO resellers compete on, and a computing company buying exclusive naming rights to a rocket flight is a new commercial arrangement for China's crowded light-launch market, where CAS Space, Landspace and Galactic Energy are all racing to establish monthly cadence.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- CAS Space
- Category
- launch
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-09-20
- Published
- 2026-09-20 05:30 UTC