Cosmoleap (大航跃迁) is a Chinese launch startup founded in February 2024 by Chen Shuguang. The legal parent, Shanghai Dahang Yueqian Aerospace Technology, is registered in Shanghai's Lingang free-trade zone; the Beijing Dahang Yueqian subsidiary does rocket design, R&D, production, and operations.
Latest update Sep 8, 2026
01
Its product is Yueqian-1 ('Leap-1'), and it remains 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); Qingyu-11 cleared a round of core-component tests (torch ignition, low-temperature and liquid-flow testing) in June 2026 and is still moving toward full-system test firing, with no full-system firing reported as of early September 2026. 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 - and has disclosed no later round. On March 3, 2026 the company signed a strategic supply-chain cooperation agreement with Beijing Aerospace Guanghua Electronic Technology. The latest public hardware milestone remains the August 19, 2026 combined static-load test of the Yueqian-1 second-stage frame and propellant-tank rear-bottom structure; the company still plans final assembly and integrated testing in the second half of 2026 and a debut orbital flight in 2027, racing domestic tower-catch rival Astronstone.
ithome.comUpdated Sep 8, 2026
02
2026
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, auxiliary-propulsion thruster hot fires, the June 2026 first-stage propellant-precooling test, and the August 2026 second-stage structural static test. As of early September 2026 the company has not published a later catch-tower demonstration.
2026-2027
Mature the in-house 150-ton-class Qingyu-11 methalox engine (30-105% throttle, up to 50 reuses) to replace the externally sourced YF-209 on later vehicles. Core-component tests (torch ignition, low-temperature and liquid-flow testing) finished in June 2026; full-system test firing is still the next sourced gate and has not been reported complete as of early September 2026.
2027
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. The official product page still lists 2027 as first-flight year. First-stage precooling (June 2026) and second-stage structural static (August 2026) remain the last published airframe tests ahead of that stack.
03
04
05
Operating status
Pre-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. The latest public hardware milestone is still the August 19, 2026 combined static-load test of the second-stage frame and propellant-tank rear-bottom structure; no later ground-test or funding announcement has been published as of early September 2026. The first-stage liquid-methane pressurization/delivery system passed a natural-circulation precooling test in June. The in-house 150-ton-class Qingyu-11 methalox engine cleared core-component tests in June 2026 and is still moving toward full-system test firing, with no full-system firing reported. Official product specs remain 70 m tall, 4.2 m diameter, 554 t liftoff mass, 720 t liftoff thrust, 18 t expended / 12 t recovered to LEO, and a 2027 first flight. Final assembly and integrated testing of the first vehicle are still planned for the second half of 2026.
06
2026
Second-stage structural static test
On August 19, 2026 Cosmoleap completes a combined static-load test of the Yueqian-1 second-stage frame and propellant-tank rear-bottom structure, verifying strength, rigidity, stability and load transfer against design targets. IT Home and other Chinese outlets confirmed the same day that the rear-bottom frame design is used elsewhere only by SpaceX and LandSpace among comparable rockets. That remains the latest public airframe test as of early September 2026.
On June 26, 2026 Cosmoleap completes China's first dedicated natural-circulation precooling test for a reusable methalox rocket's first-stage liquid-methane pressurization and delivery system, using simulated tanks, delivery lines and engine components to reproduce real operating conditions; measured flow rate and temperature closely matched simulation predictions, validating the system design.
Qingyu-11 engine clears core-component testing
In June 2026 the in-house 150-ton-class liquid oxygen/methane Qingyu-11 engine completes a round of core-component tests - torch ignition, low-temperature component testing, and component liquid-flow testing - validating key hardware performance and reliability ahead of full-system test firing.
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. No later equity round has been disclosed as of early September 2026.
Strategic supply-chain partnership with Aerospace Guanghua
On March 3, 2026 Cosmoleap signs a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Aerospace Guanghua Electronic Technology, a state-linked aerospace-electronics and electromechanical-assembly supplier, becoming the first Chinese commercial rocket company to reach deep strategic cooperation with the firm as part of restructuring the commercial-space supply chain.
2025
2024
First 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.
Chen Shuguang founds Cosmoleap in February 2024 (Shanghai parent; Beijing R&D subsidiary) to develop medium-to-large reusable rockets recovered by a 'chopstick' tower-catch system - a first among Chinese launch companies.
07
$87Mdisclosed across 2 rounds with a stated amount
