On August 18, reports emerged that the Lixun-1 upper stage, a product of independent development by CAS Space, has successfully undergone a series of power system tests. It is now poised for its maiden flight in the first quarter of the upcoming year. The Lixun-1 upper stage functions akin to a 'space shuttle' in the context of space missions, bridging the gap between rockets and spacecraft. Its primary role is to facilitate satellite orbit insertion once the rocket has propelled the spacecraft into space.

Yang Haoliang, the chief designer of the CAS Space Lixun-1 upper stage, elucidated that after the rocket delivers the spacecraft to its initial point in space, the upper stage assumes control of the flight mission. It specializes in transferring satellite payloads between different orbits, delivering each satellite to its designated orbit, and ensuring their successful deployment.

Yang further emphasized that the synergy between the LZ-2 series rockets and the Lixun-1 upper stage will substantially broaden the scope of missions that the rockets can undertake. This collaboration fills a crucial void in deep space exploration for private medium-to-large rockets. Not only does this combination cater to the launch requirements of the vast majority of commercial satellites, but it also equips the system with the capability to participate in significant national space engineering endeavors.