China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)

China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)

中国空间技术研究院

President: Xu Fuxiang
Secretary of the Party Committee: Zhu Aikang

Website: www.cast.ac.cn

OTHER NAMES: Chinese Academy for Space Technology Research (CASTR), Satellite Academy, Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology, Fifth Academy

CAST was established on 20 February, 1968, and is located in Haidian district of northeastern Beijing. CAST is one of the seven design academies under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). It employs over 10,000 persons in 10 research institutes and 2 factories which develop and produce scientific and application satellites.

CAST is one of China's major research, design, and manufacturing centers for space technology. It oversees institutes and factories related to research, development and production of communications, space-based ISR systems, and weather satellites. It lays the groundwork for future navigation satellites, data relay satellites, space shuttles and space stations. CAST is currently capable of producing 4-6 satellites per year, and is also responsible for the research and development of sounding rockets. The Dongfanghong-4 (DFH-4), a high capacity telecommunications satellite, is currently under development.

China has launched 30-40 satellites designed by CAST over the past 30 years, including telecommunications and broadcasting, meteorological and scientific experimentation satellites. China's space program, part of which involves military research, reportedly has a budget of over ten billion yuan.

In August 1993 CAST was sanctioned as a subsidiary of CASC by the United States for its involvement in missile-related sales to Pakistan.

Institutes and their subsidiaries under CAST include:

BEIJING INSTITUTE OF CONTROL ENGINEERING, "502nd Research Institute"

BEIJING CONTROL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

BEIJING INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEST ENGINEERING, "511th Research Institute"

BEIJING TIANXING ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING CORPORATION

BEIJING INSTITUTE OF SATELLITE INFORMATION ENGINEERING, "503rd Research Institute"

BEIJING XINGHANG TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

BEIJING INSTITUTE OF SPACECRAFT SYSTEMS ENGINEERING, "501^st Research Institute"

BEIJING HONGYU SPACE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION CORPORATION

BEIJING INSTITUTE OF SPACE MACHINERY AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, "508th Research Institute"

CALT

BEIJING KEYA NEW TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

BEIJING INSTITUTE OF SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION

BEIJING XINGHAI ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

BEIJING ORIENT SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT FACTORY, "529 Factory"

BEIJING SPACE TIANSHI TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

BEIJING SPACE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION CORPORATION

BEIJING SATELLITE MANUFACTURING FACTORY

BEIJING XINGDA TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

BEIJING TECHEN PROPERTY GROUP

BEIJING XIANG YU SPACE TECHNOLOGY GROUP

LANZHOU INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS "510th Research Institute"

LANZHOU HUA YU TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

SHANGHAI SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT FACTORY

SHANGHAI WEITE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

SHANGHAI SHENZHOU PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CORPORATION

SHANTOU INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT

SHANTOU S.E.Z. YUHUA TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

SHANXI TAIHUA INSTITUTE OF ELECTROMECHANICAL EQUIPMENT

SUZHOU TECHEN INDUSTRY CORPORATION

XIAN INSTITUTE OF SPACE RADIO ENGINEERING, "504th Research Institute"

XIAN SPACE STAR GROUP

YANTAI TELEMETRY TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE, "513th Research Institute"
SMALL SATELLITE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Research and development of micro-satellites and "parasitic" satellites.

YANTAI HUAYU SPACE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

[Sources: James H. Hughes, "The Current Status of China's Military Space Program," The Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies, Winter 2002; "China Plans Ten Satellite Launches by 2000," ITAR/TASS, 24 February 1998; "Launching of New Satellites Announced," China Daily, 23 February 1998; Major Mark A. Stokes, China's Strategic Modernization: Implications for US National Security, October 1997, Appendix One; Yan Kong and Tim McCarthy, "China's Missile Bureaucracy," Jane's Intelligence Review, January 1993, p. 40; Risk Report, May 1995, p. 6; Air and Cosmos/Aviation International (Paris), 25 October 1996, in FBIS-CST-96-020, 25 October 1996. CAST company literature, 1999; "Overview of CASC and its Institutes," Beijing Zhongguo Hangtian in Chinese, 1 October 2002.]

Updated 7/17/2003

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by MIIS.