SpaceX-like Startup Jiuzhou Yunjian Raises Tens of Millions of RMB in New Funding Round | FreeS Fund Investment News
Chasing the Space Dream
From the Investor
Li Feng, Founding Partner, FreeS Fund
Email: feng@freesvc.com
Commercial rocket companies have become extremely hot over the past couple of years. Most benchmark themselves against SpaceX and have found favor in capital markets. But from what we've studied and learned, the commercial rocket market needs time to mature. Moreover, across the entire commercial stack of rockets and satellites, what matters most is engine R&D capability, success rates, technical sophistication, the integration between engines and rockets, and cost reduction through reusability.
This means two things are critical for startups in this space. First, the team needs extensive, well-rounded experience with complete rocket and engine systems, because this determines whether they can effectively break through at each key technical juncture. Second, the team needs proven experience — including failure experience — in the specialized technical direction of engine development.
Jiuzhou Yunjian is a company we've come across in the past year-plus that has a complete team covering every key technical direction in liquid rocket engines. The members have long industry tenures, have worked together for years, and trust one another. Looking at results: in China's commercial aerospace sector, Jiuzhou Yunjian is the most advanced team at the most critical technical link — liquid rocket engines. That's the main reason we're continuing to invest.
Chinese commercial aerospace company Jiuzhou Yunjian recently completed a new funding round of tens of millions of RMB, with FreeS Fund, the lead investor from its angel round, continuing to back the company. The proceeds will be used for corporate development and R&D of liquid rocket engines and liquid propulsion systems.
Founded in 2017 as a private commercial aerospace firm, Jiuzhou Yunjian's main businesses include liquid rocket engines, liquid propulsion systems, and supporting ground equipment. Its products serve military and civilian aerospace applications, and the company provides technical consulting services in the aerospace field. Guided by a culture of "passion, innovation, professionalism, and efficiency," and committed to making space access easier for customers, Jiuzhou Yunjian is currently developing the Lingyun — a liquid oxygen-methane engine for commercial launch vehicles.
The Lingyun engine was designed from the outset to address the hard requirement that commercial liquid rockets must cut vehicle costs through recovery and reuse to turn a profit. To meet this need, the company invested heavily in enabling frequent restarts, deep throttle capability, and reusability. Through innovations including a torch-type electric ignition system, deep-throttle control valves and thrust control technology, and a thrust chamber and turbopump system adapted to deep throttling, the Lingyun engine has achieved a leading position in supporting rocket recovery and reuse.
In 2018, as China's commercial aerospace market grew increasingly hot, many new companies sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain, creating a lively scene of blooming diversity. Throughout that year, Jiuzhou Yunjian kept 100% of its attention focused on liquid rocket engine technology and products — and achieved a series of solid results over the past year.
The Lingyun liquid oxygen-methane engine, with 12-ton thrust, deep throttle capability from 30% to 100%, and a design targeting recovery and reuse, completed in April an ignition test of its self-developed torch-type electric ignition system, which meets the engine's need for frequent start-stop cycles. In July, it completed a long-duration test of its self-developed gas generator subsystem. At the end of October, a hardware-in-the-loop simulation test of the thrust regulation system marked Jiuzhou Yunjian as a domestic leader in mastering deep engine thrust throttling technology. In December, the thrust chamber — the core combustion component of the Lingyun engine — successfully passed its hot-fire test, marking the birth of the first full-scale thrust chamber in China's commercial aerospace sector.
In January 2019, Jiuzhou Yunjian conquered the turbopump system — the "heart" of a liquid rocket engine and widely acknowledged as the most difficult component to develop — and successfully completed its medium test.
In just one year, Jiuzhou Yunjian developed all core engine components through independent R&D and passed their test validations, and is now approaching the stage of complete engine hot-fire testing. With a year of quiet, struggle, and hard work, Jiuzhou Yunjian has continuously set new records for the development speed of liquid rocket engines in China's commercial aerospace sector, achieving one solid milestone after another.
A Jiuzhou Yunjian representative stated that from this new starting point, and with the support and assistance of all sectors, the company will continuously refine every link of product design, production, testing, and final assembly. It will ensure faster and better progress in rocket engine R&D and the production of related supporting products. Going forward, Jiuzhou Yunjian will carry forward the spirit of struggle and innovation of China's aerospace industry, keep its head down and do the hard work, leverage its strengths, and strive to become a liquid rocket propulsion company serving the global commercial aerospace market — making China's contribution to humanity's exploration of space.
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