Lei Cheng

Vice President

Dr. Lei Cheng is Vice President and Head of the R&D Department at Suzhou Sustain Space Technology, and Payload Chief Engineer for the Xiyuan-0 mission. The company is based in Suzhou and launched the Xiyuan-0 satellite on 16 March 2026 aboard a Kuaizhou-11 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center; the satellite carries a flexible robotic arm for in-orbit refuelling simulation tests and an inflatable drag sphere to shorten deorbit time. He received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Vehicle Design from Northwestern Polytechnical University in April 2023 and was a postdoctoral researcher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University from 2023 to 2025. His research interests include on-orbit servicing, active debris removal, autonomous rendezvous and docking, and robust control theory. He has led several major projects, including the Xiyuan-0 in-orbit refuelling payload, deorbit sail systems and capture mechanisms, and holds multiple patents and publications in leading journals.