Insider Brief
- Space Circling secured over $13.9 million for rocket engine development and mass production facilities.
- Focuses on high-performance Honglong-1 and Qiaolong-1 engines, with plans for mass production by year-end.
- Founded in 2021 to reduce space access costs and support China’s commercial space sector, including reusable launchers.
Space Circling, a Chinese launch firm also known as Shaanxi Tianhui Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., has raised over 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) in a Series A funding round completed in December, with the announcement made on February 18. The funding, supported by strategic investors like Changsha Kaifu District Zhongxin High-tech Fund, Mianyang Kefa Fund, and others, aims to boost the company’s development of innovative rocket engines for commercial space ventures. This investment will primarily fund the construction of an industrial base for mass production of Space Circling’s rocket engines.
Among its developments, Space Circling has been focusing on the Honglong-1 and Qiaolong-1 kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket engines, designed for high performance and efficiency. The Qiaolong-1 engine, notable for its staged combustion and simplified design without a gas generator, aims to produce 85 tons of thrust. A successful hotfire test was conducted on January 31, showcasing the engine’s capabilities.
Founded in March 2021 in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, by Liu Hongjun, a professor with deep ties to the state-owned space industry, Space Circling plans to mass-produce the Qiaolong-1 engine by year-end to meet China’s rising demand for high-thrust liquid rocket engines. Liu’s vision for Space Circling includes reducing the cost of space access and supporting China’s ambition in the commercial space sector, with plans to develop reusable launchers to advance China’s space capabilities further.
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