Cosmoleap

CPrivateFounded 2024🇨🇳Beijing, China

CEO

Chen Shuguang (Founder)

Data verified as of Jul 5, 2026

Summary

Cosmoleap (大航跃迁), legally Dahang Yueqian Technology, is a Chinese launch startup founded in March 2024 by Chen Shuguang to build the Yueqian-1 ('Leap-1') — and notably is the first Chinese company to pursue a SpaceX Starship-style 'chopstick' tower-catch recovery instead of landing legs. The roughly 70 m-tall, 4.2 m-diameter, methane–liquid oxygen two-stage rocket is designed to lift about 18,000 kg to LEO when expended or ~12,000 kg with the first stage recovered, on a cluster of nine ~80-ton-class engines reusable up to 20 times. It initially flies the YF-209 engine sourced from CASC's Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology while developing its own 100-ton-class Qingyu-11 methalox engine (targeting ~150 t thrust, deep throttling, and up to 50 reuses). Cosmoleap raised roughly 100 million yuan (~$14M) in November 2024 and a 500 million yuan (~$73M) Series A in April 2026 — about 600 million yuan (~$84M) total — led by Qianhai Ark and Puhua Capital. With its design review passed and a tower-catch verification platform and drop tests underway, the company plans final assembly and integrated testing in the second half of 2026 and a debut orbital flight in 2027.

Main Products

Yueqian-1

In Development

Two-stage, methane–liquid oxygen reusable rocket whose first stage is recovered by a ground 'chopstick' tower-catch system rather than landing legs — China's first such design, modeled on SpaceX's Mechazilla. Roughly 70 m tall and 4.2 m in diameter with a nine-engine first stage.

Preliminary design review passed and tower-catch recovery being validated via a verification platform, drop tests of a test article onto the catch arms, and ground hot-fire tests of the 100N/300N auxiliary-propulsion thrusters. Final assembly and integrated testing are planned for the second half of 2026, with a debut orbital flight targeted for 2027.

Payload to LEO18,000 kg expended / 12,000 kg reused

Height~70 m

Diameter4.2 m

Liftoff Mass~554 t

First-Stage Engines9 × YF-209 (~80 t each; ~720 t total)

PropellantMethane / liquid oxygen

ReusableYes (first stage; up to 20 flights, tower-catch)

What's Next

Demonstrate tower-catch recovery

Validate the 'chopstick' tower-catch and intelligent-control recovery architecture at scale — the technical centerpiece that distinguishes Cosmoleap from China's leg-landing reusable rivals — building on completed drop tests onto the catch arms and auxiliary-propulsion thruster hot fires.

2026

Complete Qingyu-11 engine development

Mature the in-house 100-ton-class Qingyu-11 methalox engine (targeting ~150 t thrust, 30–105% throttle, up to 50 reuses) to replace the externally sourced YF-209 on later vehicles.

2026-2027

Yueqian-1 final assembly and maiden flight

Complete final assembly and integrated testing of the first Yueqian-1 in the second half of 2026, then fly the debut orbital mission — and first tower-catch recovery attempt — in 2027.

2027

Operations & Revenue

StatusPre-flight — in development

Cosmoleap has passed the Yueqian-1 design review and is testing its 'chopstick' tower-catch recovery on a verification platform, having performed short drop tests of a test article onto the tower-catch arms and completed ground hot-fire tests of the 100N and 300N auxiliary-propulsion (attitude-control) thrusters, while developing the in-house Qingyu-11 methalox engine. The company plans final assembly and integrated testing of the first Yueqian-1 in the second half of 2026, with a debut orbital flight targeted for 2027. It remains China's first launch startup to pursue tower-catch recovery, though Astronstone has since emerged as a domestic competitor pursuing the same approach.

Revenue Streams

Reusable Launch Services (planned)

Medium-to-large reusable launches on Yueqian-1 for multi-satellite deployment, China's national satellite-internet constellations, and deep-space missions, once tower-catch recovery and reuse are proven.

Key Metrics

Est. Annual Revenue

Not publicly disclosed (pre-flight; no commercial launch revenue yet)

Total Funding

~$84M (≈600M yuan)

Yueqian-1 Payload to LEO

18,000 kg expended / 12,000 kg reused

First-Stage Engines

9 × ~80 t class (~720 t total)

Recovery Method

Tower-catch 'chopsticks' (China's first)

Orbital Launches

0 (debut targeted 2027)

Timeline

2026500M yuan Series A

In April 2026 Cosmoleap closes a 500 million yuan (~$73M) Series A led by Qianhai Ark and Puhua Capital — bringing total funding to about 600 million yuan (~$84M) — to accelerate the Yueqian-1 and its in-house Qingyu-11 methalox engine toward a 2027 debut.

2025Tower-catch verification and drop tests

Cosmoleap builds a tower-recovery verification platform and begins short drop tests of its 'chopstick' capture system, alongside flight-control computer and recovery-tower controller development.

2024Founded

Chen Shuguang founds Cosmoleap (Dahang Yueqian Technology) in March 2024 to develop medium-to-large reusable rockets recovered by a 'chopstick' tower-catch system — a first among Chinese launch companies.

2024First funding round and design review

Cosmoleap raises over 100 million yuan (~$14M) in November 2024 from state-owned and venture investors, conducts a 20-second static fire of its initial Longyun engine in early December, and passes the Yueqian-1 preliminary design review.

Funding

Round	Date	Amount	Investors	Source
Angel / first round	2024-11	~$14M (100M+ yuan)	State-owned enterprises and venture capital firms
Series A	2026-04	~$73M (500M yuan)	Qianhai Ark, Puhua Capital (lead); Lingge Capital, Haiying Capital and others