Space Pioneer
Space Pioneer is a Chinese commercial aerospace company developing reusable liquid-fueled orbital rockets and rocket engines.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology Co., Ltd. or Tianbing Technology, is a Chinese commercial aerospace company focused on reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of orbital launch. Founded in 2019 by Kang Yonglai, a former chief technology officer of LandSpace, the company develops both launch vehicles and liquid rocket engines. Its principal technology direction is reusable rocketry using kerosene and liquid oxygen, commonly abbreviated as kerolox, rather than relying exclusively on expendable launch systems. The company was established during the rapid expansion of China’s privately funded space sector. Its early work centered on the Tianhuo family of liquid-propellant engines. Space Pioneer completed multiple financing activities in 2019 and subsequently raised capital to advance the Tianhuo-3 engine, initially described as a roughly 30-tonne-force engine. Development of the engine included hot-fire testing and was intended to provide the propulsion foundation for the company’s launch-vehicle programs. Space Pioneer’s launch-vehicle portfolio includes Tianlong-1, Tianlong-2, and Tianlong-3. Tianlong-1 was designed as a kerolox rocket capable of carrying more than three tonnes to low Earth orbit. Tianlong-2 was a smaller orbital vehicle, approximately 32.8 metres tall, designed to carry up to two tonnes to low Earth orbit and approximately 1.5 tonnes to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit. Its first flight, conducted on 2 April 2023, successfully delivered the Jinta cubesat to sun-synchronous orbit. The mission made Space Pioneer the first Chinese privately funded launch start-up to reach orbit on its maiden attempt with a liquid-fueled kerolox rocket. Tianlong-3 is the company’s larger reusable launch vehicle. It is planned as a two-stage kerolox rocket with a reusable first stage and a target capacity of approximately 17 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit. The vehicle is intended to address growing demand from satellite constellations and other high-frequency launch customers. Space Pioneer has also described its technology as relevant to potential launch requirements associated with China’s national satellite-internet program and possible cargo-resupply services for the Tiangong space station. The company’s engine naming has evolved. Earlier Tianhuo-3 materials were later associated with the TH-11 designation, which was used for the second stage of Tianlong-2. Space Pioneer has also been developing the larger TH-12 engine class for Tianlong-3. The broader strategy is to vertically integrate propulsion and launch-vehicle development, allowing the company to control key technologies and pursue partially reusable systems. Space Pioneer experienced a serious test incident on 30 June 2024, when a Tianlong-3 first stage detached from its test stand during a static-fire operation after a structural failure. The stage made an unintended flight and crashed in mountainous terrain near the test site, where it exploded. No casualties were reported. The incident delayed the program and prompted a substantial corrective-action effort. A later static-fire test in September 2025 was reported as successful, after the company implemented 127 corrective measures, including increasing the number of hold-down arms. The company subsequently targeted a pad operation at Jiuquan and a later launch attempt, subject to testing and regulatory readiness. Space Pioneer’s positioning combines venture-backed commercial space development with the strategic needs of China’s expanding launch market. Its stated mission emphasizes technological breakthroughs, market-oriented engineering choices, higher launch efficiency, and lower launch costs. The company remains an active launch-vehicle developer, although the operational status and commercial scale of its larger reusable systems remain dependent on further testing and successful flight demonstrations.
History
Space Pioneer was founded in 2019 by Kang Yonglai, who had previously served as chief technology officer of the Chinese commercial launch company LandSpace. The new company entered the market with an emphasis on liquid rocket propulsion and reusable orbital launch systems. Its stated approach was to select engineering paths according to commercial launch demand, with the goals of increasing launch efficiency and lowering the cost of access to orbit. During its founding year, Space Pioneer completed two financing rounds, including a Zhejiang University Joint Innovation investment. These funds supported development of the Tianhuo family of liquid bipropellant engines. The company’s early propulsion work included Tianhuo-1 and Tianhuo-2 concepts and testing, followed by the more powerful Tianhuo-3 engine. Tianhuo-3 was designed to provide approximately 30 tonnes-force of thrust and was intended to serve as a major propulsion element for the company’s early launch vehicles. Initial igniter and hot-fire work began during the early development period, and a longer-duration ground test was reported in December 2020. Space Pioneer raised approximately US$14 million in April 2020 to complete Tianhuo-3 development. In September of the same year, it completed a Series A financing described as being worth several hundred million yuan. A further venture-capital pre-Series B round of approximately US$30 million was completed in July 2021. The company used this capital to advance Tianlong-1, a kerosene-and-liquid-oxygen launch vehicle intended to carry more than three tonnes to low Earth orbit and to incorporate recoverability into its design philosophy. The company’s next major vehicle was Tianlong-2. The rocket was approximately 32.8 metres tall and designed to deliver up to two tonnes to low Earth orbit or approximately 1.5 tonnes to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit. On 2 April 2023, Tianlong-2 successfully completed its maiden flight and placed the Jinta cubesat, supplied by Hunan Hangsheng Satellite Technology, into sun-synchronous orbit. The launch was a significant milestone for China’s private space sector: Space Pioneer became the first Chinese privately funded start-up to reach orbit on its first launch attempt using a liquid-fueled kerolox rocket. In July 2023, Space Pioneer announced another financing round, described as Series C and worth several hundred million yuan. Reported cumulative fundraising reached approximately US$414 million. The new funding was directed principally toward Tianlong-3, a larger two-stage reusable launch vehicle. Tianlong-3 was designed with a reusable first stage and a target capacity of approximately 17 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit. Its planned performance placed it in a class comparable in broad payload terms to Falcon 9, although the systems are independently developed. Tianlong-3 suffered a major test setback on 30 June 2024. During a static-fire operation, a first-stage test vehicle detached from its stand following a structural failure. The stage made an unintended flight before landing and exploding about 1.5 kilometres southwest of the test site in Gongyi, China. No casualties were reported. The event exposed weaknesses in the ground-support and restraint arrangements and delayed the planned flight schedule. Space Pioneer subsequently reported implementing 127 corrective measures, including doubling the number of hold-down arms. On 15 September 2025, the company conducted a successful Tianlong-3 first-stage static-fire test from the HOS-1 sea-launch platform at Haiyang Space Port. The nine engines underwent gimbaling tests before the approximately 30-second firing. The company attributed black smoke at shutdown to excess kerosene. It then targeted moving Tianlong-3 to a launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, with a launch later planned for November or December, subject to further preparations and approvals. Alongside its vehicle programs, Space Pioneer has continued developing engines under the Tianhuo designation. Tianhuo-3 was later associated with the TH-11 designation and powered the second stage of Tianlong-2. A larger TH-12 engine class is being developed for Tianlong-3. The company’s commercial ambitions include serving China’s expanding satellite-launch market, including possible requirements linked to a national satellite-internet project and potential cargo-resupply missions for the Tiangong space station. Its long-term identity is therefore based on combining in-house propulsion, reusable launch hardware, and commercial launch operations.
- 2025
Tianlong-3 corrective static fire
[1]Space Pioneer reported a successful first-stage static-fire test after implementing 127 corrective measures following the 2024 accident.
- 2024
Tianlong-3 static-fire accident
[1]A structural failure caused a Tianlong-3 first stage to detach from its test stand and make an unintended flight before crashing near the test area.
- 2023
Tianlong-2 reaches orbit
[1]Tianlong-2 successfully launched the Jinta cubesat on 2 April, giving Space Pioneer a successful orbital debut.
- 2023
Series C financing announced
[1]The company announced additional financing to fund development of the larger Tianlong-3 system.
- 2021
Tianlong-1 development funded
[1]A pre-Series B financing round of approximately US$30 million supported initial development of the reusable Tianlong-1 launch vehicle.
- 2020
Tianhuo engine development receives major funding
[1]Space Pioneer raised approximately US$14 million in April and later completed a Series A round reported in several-hundred-million-yuan terms to advance its liquid-engine program.
- 2019
Company founded
[1]Kang Yonglai founded Space Pioneer after leaving LandSpace, establishing a company focused on liquid rocket engines and reusable orbital launch vehicles.
Products and positioning
A Chinese commercial launch company pursuing lower-cost orbital access through vertically integrated kerolox engines, reusable launch vehicles, and market-oriented launch services.
Reusable orbital launch vehicle
Tianlong-1
Tianlong-1 is a kerosene-liquid oxygen launch vehicle developed around Space Pioneer’s liquid-engine technology. It was designed to carry more than three tonnes to low Earth orbit and represented the company’s early effort to combine commercial launch capability with recovery and reuse. The vehicle’s development was supported by the company’s 2021 pre-Series B financing.
Orbital launch vehicle · 2023
Tianlong-2
Tianlong-2 is a kerolox launch vehicle approximately 32.8 metres tall. It was designed to carry up to two tonnes to low Earth orbit and approximately 1.5 tonnes to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit. Its 2 April 2023 maiden flight successfully deployed the Jinta cubesat, making it the first privately funded Chinese liquid-kerolox rocket to reach orbit on its first attempt.
Reusable orbital launch vehicle
Tianlong-3
Tianlong-3 is a two-stage kerolox vehicle under development, with a reusable first stage. Space Pioneer has stated target capacities of approximately 17 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit. The program suffered a 2024 static-fire test accident but later underwent corrective testing, including a reported successful first-stage static fire in September 2025.
Liquid rocket engines
Tianhuo engine family
The Tianhuo family comprises Space Pioneer’s liquid bipropellant rocket-engine programs. Early work included Tianhuo-1 and Tianhuo-2, followed by Tianhuo-3, a roughly 30-tonne-force kerolox engine. Tianhuo-3 was later associated with the TH-11 designation and used on Tianlong-2’s second stage. Space Pioneer has also been developing the larger TH-12 engine class for Tianlong-3.
Brand decisions
2024
Rework Tianlong-3 ground-test systems after failureStrategyBackground
A first-stage test vehicle detached from its stand during a static-fire operation because of a structural failure.
Action taken
Space Pioneer implemented 127 corrective measures, including increasing the number of hold-down arms, and later moved a corrective static-fire campaign to the Haiyang sea-launch platform.
Aftermath
A subsequent first-stage static fire was reported successful in September 2025, although the vehicle still required further launch preparations and approvals.
2023
Direct Series C funding toward Tianlong-3StrategyBackground
After Tianlong-2 reached orbit, Space Pioneer sought to scale its launch capability for larger commercial and strategic payload requirements.
Action taken
The company announced Series C funding worth several hundred million yuan and allocated the proceeds primarily to Tianlong-3 development.
Aftermath
Tianlong-3 became the company’s principal large-launcher program, but its schedule was delayed by the 2024 static-fire accident.
Reported cumulative funding. Approximately US$414 million (By July 2023)
2019
Adopt reusable liquid-propulsion launch strategyStrategyBackground
Space Pioneer entered China’s emerging commercial-launch market while emphasizing lower-cost orbital access and a move beyond purely expendable rockets.
Action taken
The company pursued in-house kerolox engines and reusable launch vehicles, linking propulsion development with its future launch-service business.
Aftermath
This strategy led to the Tianlong vehicle family and the Tianhuo engine program, including the successful Tianlong-2 orbital debut and later Tianlong-3 development.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Tianbing Technology completes Pre-B round financing[2]
Reported:
Tianbing Technology completed a Pre-B round of strategic financing worth several hundred million yuan, with Zhangjiagang Ecological Science and Technology City, Jundu Investment, and Zijin Investment participating.
Tianbing Technology completes over RMB 100 million Pre-A funding round[3]
Reported:
Tianbing Technology announced that it completed a Pre-A funding round of more than RMB 100 million in March 2020. Zheda Lianchuang led the round, with Inno Angel and Eagle Fund also participating.
Sources3 sources
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