The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is a main contractor for the

Chinese space program The space program of the People's Republic of China is about the activities in outer space conducted and directed by the China, People's Republic of China. The roots of the Chinese space program trace back to the 1950s, when, with the help ...

. It is state-owned and has subsidiaries which design, develop and manufacture a range of

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...

launch vehicle A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage ...

s, and ground equipment. It also has a division for strategic and tactical

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

systems.

History

CASC was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956. Along with space and defense manufacture, CASC also produces

machinery A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolec ...

chemicals A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

equipment,

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

equipment,

computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...

medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

care products and

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

protection equipment. CASC provides commercial launch services to the international market. By the end of 2013, the corporation has registered capital of CN¥294.02 billion and employs 170,000 people. In December 2017, the CASC was restructured from a state-owned enterprise (全民所有制企业) to a state-owned enterprise with limited liability (国有独资公司) with the approval of the

State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) is a special commission of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It was founded in 2003 through the consolidation of various other indus ...

(SASAC). The sole shareholder is SASAC, the company's headquarters are still in Beijing, the business areas remained the same and nothing changed for the staff either. In 2021, China's 14th five year plan included two

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

satellite constellation A satellite constellation is a group of artificial satellites working together as a system. Unlike a single satellite, a constellation can provide permanent global or near-global pass (spaceflight), coverage, such that at any time everywhere on E ...

s named “GW” featuring nearly 13,000 satellites was in development.

Subordinate entities

R&D and production complexes

* China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) ** China Energine International (Holdings) Limited * Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology (AASPT) *

China Academy of Space Technology The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) () is a Chinese space agency and subordinate of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The agency was founded on 20 February 1968, and is the main spacecraft development and pr ...

(CAST) * Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology (AALPT) * Sichuan Academy of Aerospace Technology (SAAT), maker of the Weishi rockets family * Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) * China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology (CAAET) * China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA)

Specialized companies

* China Satellite Communications ** APT Satellite International ***

APT Satellite Holdings APT Satellite Holdings Limited is a Bermuda-incorporated holding company. Its Hong Kong-incorporated subsidiary APT Satellite Co., Ltd. is the operator of the Apstar satellite constellation. APT Satellite Holdings and APT Satellite are headquarte ...

* China Great Wall Industry Corporation Limited (CGWIC) * China Aerospace International Holdings * Beijing Shenzhou Aerospace Software Technology Co, Ltd. * China Spacesat Co. Ltd. * China Siwei Surveying and Mapping Technology Co, Ltd * China Aerospace Investment Holdings ** Easy Smart Limited ()

Directly subordinated units

The "directly subordinated units" of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation are: * China Astronautics Standards Institute * China Astronautics Publishing House * Space Archives * Aerospace Communication Center * China Space News * Chinese Society of Astronautics * Aerospace Talent Development & Exchange Center * Aerospace Printing Office * Aerospace Long-March International, a sales unit

International reception

United States

In 2006 the US Department of the Treasury accused Great Wall Industry and its partners of playing a lead role in the development of the Fateh missile system, as Iran had no previous experience with solid-fueled ballistic missiles. In November 2020, U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

issued an

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...

prohibiting U.S. companies and individuals owning shares in companies that the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

has listed as having links to the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

, which included CASC. In August 2022, CASC's 9th Academy 771 and 772 Research Institutes were added to the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

Entity List The Entity List is a trade restriction list published by the United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), consisting of certain foreign persons, entities, or governments. It is published as Supplement 4 of Part ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Space program of the People's Republic of China Aerospace companies of China Manufacturing companies based in Beijing Technology companies established in 1999 Commercial launch service providers Communications satellite operators Conglomerate companies of China Government-owned companies of China Chinese companies established in 1999 Chinese brands Defence companies of the People's Republic of China Manufacturing companies established in 1999