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The construction site of the CAS Space rocket super factory in Shaoxing. [Photo/Tide News]

The construction site of the CAS Space rocket super factory in Shaoxing's Keqiao district is bustling with activity — the roar of machinery and flashes of welding arcs fill the place. As the district's first rocket project, the factory buildings and supporting infrastructure are rapidly taking shape. Trial production is scheduled to begin by the end of January, with full operations expected to commence by the end of March.

Invested in and constructed by CAS Space, the project has a total investment of 2 billion yuan ($287 million), covers approximately 6.6 hectares, and is part of Zhejiang province's "Thousand Projects, Trillion Investment" initiative.

The main structure of the factory buildings has been completed and interior decoration is underway. The dormitory and R&D buildings have entered the facade installation and finishing stages, with overall progress significantly ahead of the original schedule. 

Once fully operational, the facility is projected to produce 12 PR-2 rockets annually, which will help alleviate China's current shortage of launch capacity. It will enable rapid responses to high-frequency launch demands and support large-scale satellite constellation deployment missions. 

With a focus on manufacturing key components for liquid propellant carrier rockets, the project aims to establish a comprehensive aerospace industry ecosystem. This will encompass rocket development, core component processing and testing, launch services, mission control, and satellite operations, forming a complete industrial chain cluster.