Space Pioneer

What Space Pioneer does

Space Pioneer (天兵科技) is a privately held Chinese commercial aerospace company founded in January 2019 by Kang Yonglai, a former chief designer of a launch vehicle at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). Headquartered in Beijing with additional facilities in Xi'an (engine R&D), Zhengzhou (testing), Zhangjiagang (manufacturing), Jiuquan (dedicated launch pad), and Haiyang (offshore launch platform), the company designs, manufactures, and operates liquid-fueled rockets and rocket engines. Its product portfolio comprises the Tianlong (天龙) series of launch vehicles—TL-2 (4-5t LEO), TL-3 (17-22t LEO, reusable ≥20 times), TL-3H (68t LEO, heavy-lift, planned for 2026 first orbital flight), and TL-3M (60-passenger crewed spacecraft, planned 2027)—and the Tianhuo (天火) series of LOX/kerosene engines (TH-11, TH-12, TH-12V) plus attitude control thrusters (TH-31, TH-32). Cumulative funding through eight rounds totals approximately 2.5 billion CNY (~US$349M), most recently from a Pre-D and D round in November 2025.

The company's revenue model combines three streams: dedicated and shared launch services for satellite operators (transaction-fee pricing on multi-year contracts), propulsion system hardware sales to aerospace manufacturers, and technical services for rocket R&D and testing. Customers include commercial satellite operators building LEO constellations, government and commercial mission operators, and aerospace system integrators, though no named customers are publicly disclosed. Space Pioneer's core technology differentiators include the TH-11 high-pressure staged combustion closed-loop cycle engine (the only such engine in China's commercial aerospace sector), proprietary vertical recovery soft-landing buffer control technology, a memory alloy satellite separation mechanism (90% impact reduction, 60% weight reduction, 30% of traditional cost), and LN2 tank pressurization (50%+ weight reduction, 10x cost reduction). The company has logged 10 successful launches in 2024, and as of November 2025 has completed the first one-rocket-36-satellite separation test and first sea-based hot-fire test of the Tianlong-3 first stage, positioning it for commercial service entry of the medium-lift, reusable Tianlong-3 rocket.

Name

Space Pioneer

Legal name

北京天兵科技有限公司

Website

https://spacepioneer.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Space Pioneer (天兵科技) is a privately held Chinese commercial aerospace company founded in 2019 that designs, manufactures, and operates reusable LOX/kerosene rockets and engines for satellite operators, government mission operators, and aerospace manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Launch Vehicles and Rocket Propulsion

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rocket Engines (Liquid) (IMABADAE), Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters (IMABACAE)

Keywords

• Commercial launch services
• Liquid rocket engines
• Reusable launch vehicles
• Satellite propulsion systems
• Aerospace engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Rocket Launch Services: Customized launch services for satellite users providing low-cost, high-reliability dedicated launch solutions including satellite-rocket matching, launch site coordination, launch tracking, and insurance technical support.
2. Power System Supply: Supply of various propulsion system products including large, medium, and small thrust general-purpose engines for satellite propulsion systems, supersonic aircraft propulsion, rocket main propulsion, and attitude control propulsion.
3. Product Technical Services: Technical services including rocket overall design, airframe structure, electrical systems, separation systems, launch support, and engine product R&D, testing, and technical services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Space Pioneer designs, manufactures, and operates liquid-fueled launch vehicles (Tianlong series: TL-2, TL-3, TL-3H, TL-3M) and rocket engines (Tianhuo series: TH-11, TH-12, TH-12V, TH-31, TH-32). It provides dedicated and shared launch services for satellite operators, propulsion system integration for aerospace manufacturers, and technical R&D services covering rocket overall design, airframe structure, electrical systems, and separation systems.

Product overview

Space Pioneer (天兵科技) is a commercial aerospace company offering a comprehensive portfolio of liquid-fueled rockets and rocket engines. The product lineup comprises the Tianlong (天龙) series of launch vehicles — TL-2 (small payload, 4-5t LEO), TL-3 (medium payload, 17-22t LEO, reusable ≥20 times), TL-3H (heavy-lift, 68t LEO, reusable ≥10 times), and TL-3M (crewed spacecraft, 60 passengers) — alongside the Tianhuo (天火) series of liquid rocket engines including TH-11 (30t thrust, oxygen-rich preburner), TH-12 (95t sea-level thrust), TH-12V (110t vacuum thrust), and TH-31/TH-32 attitude control engines. The company also provides launch services (dedicated and shared launch modes), propulsion system integration, and technical services for rocket development and testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 天龙系列: 天兵天龙系列液体运载火箭，包括TL-2、TL-3、TL-3H、TL-3M型号
• 天火系列

Products and services

• TL-2 Launch Vehicle (TL-2 运载火箭) Small liquid-fueled launch vehicle with 3.35m diameter, 42m total length, 285t liftoff thrust, and 232t liftoff mass. Designed for small satellite operators requiring dedicated launch capacity.
• TL-3 Launch Vehicle (TL-3 运载火箭) Medium reusable liquid-fueled launch vehicle with 3.8m diameter, 72m total length, 855t liftoff thrust, 600t liftoff mass, and 17-22t LEO payload capacity. First Chinese commercial rocket to exceed 20t LEO. Configured with 9 TH-12 first-stage engines, 1 TH-12V second-stage engine, and TH-32 upper-stage engine. Reusability ≥20 times. Targets LEO constellation deployment.
• TL-3H Heavy Launch Vehicle (TL-3H 运载火箭) Heavy reusable liquid-fueled launch vehicle with parallel-bundled common core stage architecture. LEO payload 68t, SSO payload 42t, 2.5 stages. Reusability ≥10 times. First stage and boosters autonomously return. Uses cold separation for all stages. Targets heavy-lift commercial and government missions.
• TL-3M Intercontinental Crewed Spacecraft (TL-3M 洲际载人飞船) Reusable intercontinental crewed spacecraft with 60-passenger LEO capacity. Rocket total length 67m, liftoff mass 672t, liftoff thrust 855t, 2 stages. Reusability ≥30 times. First-stage booster has multi-flight reusability with autonomous return; second stage is the crewed spacecraft.
• TH-11 LOX/Kerosene Engine (TH-11 液氧煤油发动机) Oxygen-rich preburner high-performance LOX/kerosene engine with 30t vacuum thrust, 345s vacuum specific impulse, thrust-to-weight ratio 130. Supports 2 starts. System uses oxygen-rich preburner closed cycle, pump-front swing configuration, variable thrust 50%-110%, and reusability ≥30 times. Usable as upper stage and first stage engine for medium liquid launch vehicles.
• TH-12 LOX/Kerosene Engine (TH-12 液氧煤油发动机) Hundred-ton class high-thrust LOX/kerosene engine with 95t sea-level thrust, 285s sea-level specific impulse, thrust-to-weight ratio 163. Supports 4 starts. Uses gas generator cycle, pump-rear swing, variable thrust 50%-110%, reusability ≥50 times. Usable for reusable medium and large liquid launch vehicles.
• TH-12V LOX/Kerosene Engine (TH-12V 液氧煤油发动机) Hundred-ton class high-thrust vacuum LOX/kerosene engine with 110t vacuum thrust, 346s vacuum specific impulse, thrust-to-weight ratio 115. Supports 2 starts. Gas generator cycle, pump-front swing, reusability ≥10 times. Designed as second-stage engine for reusable large and medium liquid launch vehicles.
• TH-31 Attitude Control Engine (TH-31 轨姿控发动机) Space engine using room-temperature liquid NTO/MMH propellant. Vacuum thrust 3000N + 8×150N. Constant-pressure blowdown system, 1+8/12 thrust chambers, 310s vacuum specific impulse, ≥2 starts and 2000 cycles, start acceleration ≤0.3s, shortest working time 0.5s. Used for vehicle orbital transfer and attitude control.

Quantifiable outcome

• Launch costs reduced to 30% of traditional solutions through memory alloy separation technology
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LandSpace: Chinese private launch competitor developing the Zhuque series of liquid methane (Zhuque-2) and LOX/kerosene (Zhuque-3) launch vehicles targeting similar LEO constellation customers. Most direct head-to-head peer for medium-lift, reusable commercial launch in China.
• Galactic Energy: Chinese commercial launch company operating the Ceres-1 solid rocket and developing the Pallas-1 reusable LOX/kerosene medium-lift vehicle. Competes for the same satellite operator customers and government payload contracts.
• iSpace: Beijing-based commercial launch company developing the Hyperbola series of liquid-propellant rockets, including the Hyperbola-3 reusable launcher. Competes directly in the Chinese small-to-medium lift market.
• Orienspace: Chinese commercial launch startup developing the Gravity-1 solid rocket and the Gravity-2 reusable liquid launcher for LEO constellation deployment. Targets the same customer base with overlapping capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Rocket Lab: US small-to-medium lift commercial launch peer operating Electron (small payload) and developing Neutron (medium-lift, reusable). Comparable business model targeting commercial and government constellation customers.
• China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC): Chinese state-owned aerospace conglomerate developing the KZ-1, KZ-11, and other launch vehicles for commercial and government payloads. Competes with Space Pioneer for both state mission slots and emerging commercial demand.
• SpaceX: Global benchmark for commercial reusable launch; Falcon 9 operates in a similar payload class and reusability profile to TL-3/TL-3H. Not a direct Chinese competitor due to regulatory barriers, but defines the cost-per-kg target Space Pioneer's economics must approach.
• Blue Origin: US commercial space company developing the New Glenn heavy-lift reusable launcher with BE-4 LOX/methane engines. Provides a competitive global benchmark for heavy-lift commercial launch referenced by Space Pioneer on its own website.
• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC): Chinese state-owned prime contractor and the dominant domestic launch provider through Long March series rockets. Sets baseline pricing and capacity for Chinese commercial missions and is the principal incumbent Space Pioneer must displace.

Emerging players

• Relativity Space: US emerging launch company developing the Terran R reusable medium-lift vehicle using 3D-printed components and Aeon R LOX/methane engines. Comparable in mission profile (medium-lift reusability) but operates in a different regulatory geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Space Pioneer