View source for Company:I-Space (Chinese company)

{{Short description|Chinese private space launch company}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{Infobox company
| name                = i-Space
| logo                = ISpace Logo.png
| type                = [[Finance:Privately held company|Private]]

| industry            = [[Earth:Aerospace|aerospace]]
| fate                = 
| predecessor         = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->
| successor           = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| founded             = {{Start date and age|2016}}
| founder             = <!-- or: | founders = -->
| defunct             = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->

| hq_location_city    = [[Place:Beijing|Beijing]] 
| hq_location_country = China
| area_served         = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->
| key_people          = 
| products            = [[Engineering:Launch service provider|Launch service provider]] 
| owner               = <!-- or: | owners = -->
| num_employees       = 
| num_employees_year  = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| parent              = 
| website             = {{URL|www.i-space.com.cn}}
}}

'''i-Space'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.i-space.com.cn/|title=北京星际荣耀空间科技有限公司|language=zh|trans-title=Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Company Ltd.|publisher=i-Space|access-date=2018-05-30}}</ref> ({{lang-zh|s=星际荣耀|p=xīngjì róngyào|l=Interstellar Glory}})—also known as '''Space Honor''',<ref name=Jones/> '''Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd.''',<ref name=sn20200414>{{cite news |title=Space Pioneer raises $14 million to develop green liquid rocket engines |url=https://spacenews.com/space-pioneer-raises-14-million-to-develop-green-liquid-rocket-engines/ |last=Jones|first=Andrew |work=SpaceNews |date=14 April 2020 |access-date=27 July 2021}}</ref> '''Interstellar Glory'''<ref>[https://spacenews.com/chinese-private-firm-onespace-fails-with-first-orbital-launch-attempt/ Space News]</ref> or '''StarCraft Glory'''<ref name="gbsec">{{cite web |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/hyperbola.htm|title=StarCraft Glory - Hyperbola|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref>—is a Chinese [[Engineering:Private spaceflight|private]] space technology [[Engineering:New product development|development]] and [[Engineering:Space launch|space launch]] company based in [[Place:Beijing|Beijing]], founded in October 2016.

The company is developing [[Astronomy:Two-stage-to-orbit|two-stage]] small satellite [[Engineering:Launch vehicle|orbital launchers]] based on  solid propellant rocket engines procured from major Chinese government supplier [[Company:China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation|China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation]] (CAST).<ref name="gbsec"/>

In July 2019, i-Space successfully launched the Hyperbola-1 and reached [[Astronomy:Low Earth orbit|low Earth orbit]] on its maiden flight, becoming the first private company from China to achieve orbit.<ref name="qzmaidenflight"/> The company's next three orbital launch attempts (two in 2021 and one in 2022) using the same launch vehicle all ended in failure.<ref name="nsf20210201"/><ref name="Y5failXinhua"/> But a return to success in orbital launches with the Hyperbola-1 followed in 2023 when the company conducted a successful test launch with no payload in April of that year and continued with a December 2023 launch that placed the DEAR-1 satellite in an [[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]] orbit.<ref name="spacenews02Nov2023" /><ref name="cnstock2023Dec" /><ref name="Dec23Sohu"">{{cite web | url=https://it.sohu.com/a/744806992_121117482 | title=刚刚，“梁溪号”卫星发射升空！  | work=sohu.com | date=17 December 2023 | accessdate=18 December 2023}}</ref>

== History ==
The company was founded in 2016.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

By 2019, i-Space had successfully launched the Hyperbola-1S and Hyperbola-1Z single-stage solid-propellant [[Engineering:Test article (aerospace)|test]] rockets into space on suborbital test flights,<ref name="Jones">{{cite news |url=http://spacenews.com/chinese-commercial-launch-sector-nears-takeoff-with-suborbital-rocket-test/|title=Chinese commercial launch sector nears takeoff with suborbital rocket test|publisher=SpaceNews |first=Andrew|last=Jones|date=15 May 2018|access-date=30 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="Deyana">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacetechasia.com/chinese-government-launch-site-conducts-first-2-commercial-launches/ |title=Chinese government launch site conducts first 2 commercial launches|publisher=Spacetech Asia|last=Goh|first=Deyana|date=7 September 2018|access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> and then reached [[Astronomy:Low Earth orbit|low Earth orbit]] with Hyperbola-1 on its maiden flight on 25 July 2019, becoming the first private company from China to have achieved orbit.<ref name="qzmaidenflight"/> The dummy payload for that maiden flight was a Changan [[Engineering:Oshan X7|Oshan X7]] SUV,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-12 |title=星际荣耀高光时刻 欧尚汽车搭上火箭上市玩到太空_车家号_发现车生活_汽车之家 |url=https://chejiahao.autohome.com.cn/info/4318451/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312173524/https://chejiahao.autohome.com.cn/info/4318451/ |archive-date=12 March 2023 }}</ref> making it the second car to ever reach space.

The company raised {{USD|173 million}} in private capital in a series B round during 2020.<ref name=sn20210803/>

== Rockets ==
=== Suborbital rockets: Hyperbola-1S and Hyperbola-1Z ===
The '''Hyperbola-1S''' (also called '''SQX-1S'''),<ref name="sfi20180906">{{cite web|last=Nowakowski|first=Tomasz|url=https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/commercial/chinese-startup-launches-three-cubesats-into-space/|title=Chinese startup launches three CubeSats into space|publisher=SpaceFlight Insider|date=6 September 2018|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref> and the '''Hyperbola-1Z''' (also called '''SQX-1Z'''),<ref name="SpaceWatch2018">{{cite web|last=Sheldon|first=John|url=https://spacewatch.global/2018/09/chinas-ispace-successfully-launches-sqx-1z-sub-orbital-rocket-with-cubesats/|title=China's iSpace Successfully Launches SQX-1Z Sub-Orbital Rocket With CubeSats|publisher=SpaceWatch.Global|date=6 September 2018|access-date=20 July 2019|url-access=limited}}</ref> are single stage, solid-propellant suborbital test rockets. The Hyperbola-1S rocket was {{cvt|8.4|m}} long, with a diameter of {{cvt|1|m}} and weighed {{cvt|4.6|tonne}}. The Hyperbola-1Z rocket has a diameter of about {{cvt|1.4|m}}, maximum design speed of {{cvt|1.6|km/s}} and can reach altitude of {{cvt|175|km}} on a suborbital trajectory.<ref name="sfi20180906"/>

The first [[Engineering:Sub-orbital spaceflight|sub-orbital]] test flight of Hyperbola-1S took place from Hainan island on 5 April 2018 to an altitude of {{cvt|108|km}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Palec|first=Phenny Lynn |url=https://en.businesstimes.cn/articles/111730/20190507/china-s-ispace-attempts-private-orbital-launch-june.htm|title=China's i-Space Attempts Private Orbital Launch In June|publisher=Business Times|date=7 May 2019|access-date=20 July 2019|url-access=limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701033734/https://en.businesstimes.cn/articles/111730/20190507/china-s-ispace-attempts-private-orbital-launch-june.htm|archive-date=1 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Deyana/><ref name="gbsec"/>

The second flight of i-Space was a commercial sub-orbital flight launched on 5 September 2018 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, using the Hyperbola-1Z rocket. The sub-orbital flight reached an altitude of {{cvt|108|km}} and a peak velocity of over {{cvt|1200|m/s}}.<ref name="spaceflightfansChina20180530">{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceflightfans.cn/29636.html|title="双曲线一号S火箭"首飞成功！星际荣耀近期型谱计划出炉！(''The Hyperbola 1-S Rocket Made Its First Flight Successfully! Interstellar Glory releases its future plans'')|website=spaceflightfans.cn|language=zh-CN|access-date=2018-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408105426/http://www.spaceflightfans.cn/29636.html|archive-date=8 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> It carried  payloads from private Chinese satellite companies ZeroG Labs and ADA-space. The rocket delivered three [[Engineering:CubeSat|CubeSat]] satellites one of which subsequently parachuted back to [[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]].<ref name="chinadaily20180905">{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201809/05/WS5b8f65a0a31033b4f46545c0.html|title=Chinese private company launches satellites|last=Lei|first=Zhao|date=2018-09-05|website=China Daily|access-date=2018-09-07}}</ref>

=== Hyperbola-1 ===
The '''Hyperbola-1''' (aka '''Shuang Quxian-1''', '''SQX-1''') (Chinese: '''双曲线一号''') rocket is {{cvt|20.8|m}} tall, {{cvt|1.4|m}} in diameter and weighs {{cvt|31|tonne}}. It consists of four all solid fuel stages, guided by liquid fuel attitude control engines.<ref name="Products">{{cite web|title=Products & Services|url=http://www.i-space.com.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=lists&catid=4|website=i-space.com.cn|access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref> It can launch {{cvt|300|kg}} into [[Astronomy:Low Earth orbit|low Earth orbit]] (LEO).<ref name=spaceflightfansChina20180530/> The rocket might be based on Chinese military missiles (perhaps [[Engineering:DF-11|DF-11]] or DF-15).<ref name="GunterHyperbola1"/><ref name=sfn-20190725>{{cite news|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/07/25/chinese-private-company-reaches-orbit-for-first-time/|title=Chinese private company reaches orbit for first time|last=Clark|first=Stephen|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=25 July 2019|access-date=23 June 2020}}</ref> The first stage of the rocket is equipped with four [[Engineering:Grid fin|grid fin]]s.<ref name="Products"/><ref name="NSF May 2022"/> The launch price is reported around US$5 million.<ref name="engineering.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/19431/Chinese-Private-Sector-Company-Launches-a-History-Making-Rocket.aspx|title = Chinese Private-Sector Company Launches a History-Making Rocket by MatthewGreenwood}}</ref>

Its successful maiden flight was on 25 July 2019, at 05:00 [[Physics:Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.<ref name="qzmaidenflight">{{cite news|url=https://qz.com/1674426/ispace-to-attempt-chinas-third-private-rocket-launch/|title=A private Chinese space firm successfully launched a rocket into orbit|date=25 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="GunterHyperbola1">{{cite web |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/shian-quxian-1.htm|title=Shian Quxian-1 (SQX-1, Hyperbola-1)|access-date=25 July 2019}}</ref> It launched from a movable supporting platform.<ref name="engineering.com"/> It placed numerous payloads,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seradata.com/chinese-commercial-launch-firm-ispace-launches-cubesats-on-its-hyperbola-1-rocket/|title = Chinese commercial launch firm iSpace launches cubesats on its Hyperbola-1 rocket|date = 25 July 2019}}</ref> among them the CAS-7B amateur radio satellite,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://amsat-uk.org/2019/07/08/cas-7b-launch/|title=CAS-7B to launch July 25|publisher=AMSAT-UK|date=8 July 2019|access-date=19 July 2019}}</ref> into orbit {{cvt|300|km}} above [[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]]. CAS-7B decayed from orbit 6 August 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=44443|title=CAS 7B|publisher=N2YO.com|access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref> It was the first Chinese private company to achieve orbit (orbital launches of other private companies before had failed).<ref name=sfn-20190725/>

A second launch occurred on 1 February 2021, at 08:15 UTC (16:15 Beijing Time) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with 6 unidentified satellites but failed to reach orbit.<ref name="nsf20210201">{{cite web |title=Chinese Hyperbola-1 rocket fails during its second launch|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/02/chinese-hyperbola-1-rocket-fails-second-launch/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|date=2021-02-01|access-date=2021-07-11}}</ref> A subsequent investigation revealed that a piece of insulation had broken off and got stuck in the turning mechanism of [[Engineering:Grid fin|grid fin]] Number IV. When the piece was blown away, the control system then suddenly overcompensated, resulting in the rocket being ripped apart by excessive aerodynamic forces.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7z5QYNl5uADwxO_RRZizyw |script-title=zh:双曲线一号遥二运载火箭飞行故障完成归零 |trans-title=The flight failure of the Hyperbola-1 Yao-2 launch vehicle has been traced to its roots}}</ref><ref name="NSF May 2022">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/05/hyperbola-1-failure-may-2022/ |title=Hyperbola-1, China's first privately-owned rocket, fails in 2nd consecutive return to flight mission |date=13 May 2022}}</ref> The rocket was named "[[Social:A Book from the Sky|Tianshu]]" because its outer fuselage was covered with the artistic creations (images of compound made-up Chinese characters) of the contemporary artist Xu Bing.<ref name="nsf20210201"/>

iSpace launched a third Hyperbola-1 solid-rocket vehicle on 3 August 2021.<ref name=sn20210803>[https://spacenews.com/mystery-surrounds-chinese-private-rocket-launch-attempt/ Mystery surrounds Chinese private rocket launch attempt], Andrew Jones, SpaceNews, 3 August 2021.</ref> SpaceNews was reporting the same day that the outcome of the launch was unknown, but that amateur video of the launch had been posted, but then deleted from Chinese social media.<ref name=sn20210803/> After most of the day had passed, the Chinese official media Xinhua reported that the launch was unsuccessful due to off-nominal performance of the rocket which resulted in a failure to achieve orbit.<ref name="Y5failXinhua">{{cite news |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-08/03/c_1310105568.htm |title=Flight test of China's commercial carrier rocket fails |last=Huaxia |work=Xinhua |date=3 August 2021 |access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref> An official statement released by the company itself the following day clarified that the failure was caused by a malfunctioning in the fairing separation process, that precluded the payload from reaching the target orbit.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/NGkDVjdGexqfCjeJz5rCDw |title=关于双曲线一号遥五运载火箭飞行试验任务情况的说明 |trans-title=Explanation on the flight test mission of the Hyperbola-1 Y5 carrier rocket |date=4 August 2021 |access-date=4 August 2021 |work=i-Space |language=zh}}</ref> A fourth launch attempt on May 13, 2022, was unsuccessful as well.<ref name="NSF May 2022"/>

In April 2023, i-Space performed a fifth launch of the Hyperbola-1 which successfully reached orbit without a payload (or possibly a dummy payload),<ref name="spacenews02Nov2023" /> and then followed with another launch on 17 December 2023 that placed the DEAR-1 satellite from Chinese company Azspace into a 500 kilometre [[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]] orbit.<ref name="cnstock2023Dec" /><ref name="Dec23Sohu"" />

=== Hyperbola-2 ===
The '''Hyperbola-2''' (Chinese: '''双曲线二号''') is a two-stage, liquid-fueled, [[Astronomy:Reusable launch system|reusable]] rocket designed to lift 1.9 tons into LEO. It features the JD-1 engine which employs [[Chemistry:Methane|methane]] as fuel and [[Physics:Liquid oxygen|liquid oxygen]] as the oxidizer. The first stage is expected to land propulsively in order to be reused.<ref name="Products"/> The rocket's JD-1 engine had its first hot fire test in May 2020.<ref name=sn-20200605>{{cite news|url=https://spacenews.com/chinese-private-launch-firms-advance-with-methane-engines-launch-preparations-and-new-funding/|title=Chinese private launch firms advance with methane engines, launch preparations and new funding|last=Jones|first=Andrew|publisher=SpaceNews|date=5 June 2020|access-date=23 June 2020}}</ref> As of July 2022, the first launch was expected to occur in 2023 following a series of first stage hop tests.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://spacenews.com/new-launch-vehicles-set-for-test-flights-from-chinas-jiuquan-spaceport/ |title=New launch vehicles set for test flights from China's Jiuquan spaceport |work=SpaceNews |date=6 July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2022}}</ref> In July 2023 i-Space announced that it has decided to suspend further development of the Hyperbola-2 launcher and instead directly proceed with the development of the reusable medium-lift Hyperbola-3 rocket.<ref name="spacenews02Nov2023">{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-ispace-launches-and-lands-rocket-test-stage/ |last=Jones |first=Andrew |title=China's iSpace launches and lands rocket test stage |date= 2 November 2023 |publisher=spacenews.com |access-date= 2 November 2023}}</ref>

=== Hyperbola-3 ===
The '''Hyperbola-3''' is a 69 metres tall two-stage, liquid-fueled, partially [[Astronomy:Reusable launch system|reusable]] rocket; it is designed to lift at least 8.5 tons into LEO in reusable mode and 13.4 tons in expendable mode. The rocket's engines will use [[Chemistry:Methane|methane]] as fuel and [[Physics:Liquid oxygen|liquid oxygen]] as the oxidizer. The first stage of the rocket is expected to land vertically using landing legs. The rocket will use the Focus-1 restartable methalox engine which was flight-verified during a hop test by the Hyperbola-2Y test stage on 2 November 2023, during which the test vehicle reached a maximum height of 178.42 m.<ref name="spacenews02Nov2023" /> (A second successful test of the Hyperbola-2Y test vehicle took place on 10 December 2023 with the stage reaching a height of about 343 metres and translating a horizontal distance of about 50 metres.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=China 'N Asia Spaceflight |user=CNSpaceflight |number=1733826205982531895 |title=SQX-2Y reached 343.12m in this 63.15s hop test and landed on the target ~50m away from the liftoff position. |date=10 December 2023}}</ref>) i-Space is targeting a first flight of the expendable Hyperbola-3 for 2025, while an attempt at first-stage vertical landing and recovery is slated for 2026; a heavy-lift 3-core variant named the Hyperbola-3B is also planned by the company.<ref name="spacenews02Nov2023" />

=== List of launches ===

{| class="wikitable" <!--border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0.5em 0em 0.5em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"-->
|----- style="background:#FFDEAD;"
! Flight number
! Launch vehicle 
! Serial number
! Date (UTC)
! Launch site
! Payload
! Orbit
! Result

|-
|1
|Hyperbola-1 
|Y1
|25 July 2019<br/>05:00
|LS-95A, JSLC
|CAS-7B<br/>undisclosed payloads
|[[Astronomy:Low Earth orbit|LEO]]
|{{Success}}
|-

|2
|Hyperbola-1 
|Y2
|1 February 2021<br/>08:15
|LS-95A, JSLC
|undisclosed payloads
|[[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]]
|{{Failure}}

|-
|3
|Hyperbola-1 
|Y5
|3 August 2021<br/>07:39
|LS-95B, JSLC
|[[Engineering:Jilin-1|Jilin-1]] Mofang-01A
|[[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]]
|{{Failure}}

|-
|4
|Hyperbola-1 
|Y4
|13 May 2022<br/>07:09
|LS-95B, JSLC
|[[Engineering:Jilin-1|Jilin-1]] Mofang-01A (R)
|[[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]]
|{{Failure}}

|-
|5
|Hyperbola-1 
|Y6
|7 April 2023<br/>04:00
|LS-95A, JSLC
|''No payload'' (Flight test)
|[[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]]
|{{Success}}

|-
|6
|Hyperbola-1 
|Y7
|17 December 2023<br/>07:00<ref name="cnstock2023Dec">{{cite web |date=17 December 2023 |title=我国成功发射双曲线一号商业运载火箭 |url=https://news.cnstock.com/news,bwkx-202312-5164921.htm |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=Shanghai Securities News}}</ref>
|LS-95A, JSLC
| DEAR-1/Liangxi-1<ref name="Dec23Sohu"" />
|[[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|SSO]]
|{{Success}}

|-
|7
|Hyperbola-3
|Y1 
|2025
|JSLC
|
|
|{{Planned}}

|}

== Other developments ==
In May 2018, i-Space indicated they hoped to eventually develop a reusable sub-orbital [[Astronomy:Spaceplane|spaceplane]] (Chinese: '''亚轨道概念飞行器''') for [[Astronomy:Space tourism|space tourism]].<ref name=SpaceWatch2018/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.i-space.com.cn/show-51-26-1.html#wzdw|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801190543/http://en.i-space.com.cn/show-51-26-1.html#wzdw|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2020|title=PRODUCT|website=en.i-space.com.cn|access-date=2018-05-30}}</ref>

== Marketplace ==
i-Space is in competition with several other Chinese space rocket startups, being [[Company:LandSpace|LandSpace]], [[Company:Galactic Energy|Galactic Energy]], [[Company:ExPace|ExPace]], [[Company:LinkSpace|LinkSpace]], [[Company:OneSpace|OneSpace]] and [[Company:Deep Blue Aerospace|Deep Blue Aerospace]].<ref name=ParabolicArc-2017-12-20>{{cite news|url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2017/12/20/expace-raises-182-million-small-satellite-launchers/|title=EXPACE Raises US$182 Million for Small Satellite Launchers |date=20 December 2017|author=Doug Messier|publisher=Parabolic Arc}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Company:OneSpace|OneSpace]], a Chinese company competitor
* [[Company:Space Pioneer|Space Pioneer]], a Chinese competitor privately developing liquid rocket engine technology and launch vehicles

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Chinese launch systems}}
{{Expendable launch systems}}
{{Reusable launch systems}}

[[Category:Private spaceflight companies]]
[[Category:Aerospace companies of China]]
[[Category:Commercial launch service providers]]

{{Sourceattribution|I-Space (Chinese company)}}