The Shanghai Academy augments and occasionally competes against the five basic academies of the China Aerospace Corporation in launch vehicles and air defense systems. SAST designs, develops and manufactures launch vehicles and components, including the entire Long March-4 and FB-1 rockets, and components of the LM-3 and LM-2D. The Shanghai enterprise a setback with the FB-1 launcher, which was abandoned in favor of LM-2. The FB-1 had launched three military satellites, no details of which have published. The Shanghai "gang of four" was held responsible for the FB-1 failures between 1973 and 1981.
SAST is responsible for the development and production of the first, second stage structure and third stage attitude control system of the Long March [LM-3] launch vehicles, jointly developed with Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. It has similar responsibilities for the associated DF-5 ICBM. SAST is responsible for the CZ-2D booster, while CALT managed the development of the CZ-2C.
Other activities include work on satellites, tactical missiles, civilian products, and the components and instruments for rocket inertial guidance and stabilization systems. Meteorological spacecraft are created by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology's Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering, which until 1993 was also a part of CAST [other sources assert that this Institute is subordinated to CALT rather than SAST].| Entity | Corporation | Location | Staff | Director | Activities |
| 8th Design Department | Shanghai Institute of Electromechanical Engineering | 478 | Jin Zhuanglong | SAM R&D | |
| 509th Research Institute | Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering | 600 | Lu Zili | SAST’s key unit for satellite systems engineering and environmental testing. Established in 1969, primary products include FY-1 and FY-2 satellites. (CAST brochure has this institute under CAST) | |
| 802nd Institute | Shanghai Institute of Radio Equipment | SAM guidance and fuzes | |||
| 805th Institute | |||||
| 809th Institute | Shanghai Xinwei Electronic Equipment Research Institute | LV and tactical weapons computer automation launch control systems design and satellite control computers. Established 1979. | |||
| 8250th Institute | |||||
| Shanghai Astronautics Bureau Systems Laboratory | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Electromechanical Equipment | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Electronic Communications Equipment Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Power Machinery | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Precision Instruments [Xinyue Institute] | Guidance systems. | ||||
| Shanghai Institute of Precision Metrology and Test Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of S&T Information for Electromechanical Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Spaceflight Telemetry, Control, & Telecommunications Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Space Power Sources | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Systems Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Institute of Video & Telecommunications Equipment Engineering | |||||
| Shanghai Precision Machinery Research Institute | |||||
| Shanghai Spaceflight Architecture Design Institute | |||||
| Shanghai Spaceflight Automatic Control Equipment Research Institute | |||||
| Shanghai Xinfeng Chemical Engineering Institute | Propellant technology | ||||
| Shanghai Xinli Institute of Power Equipment | Engines and motors | ||||
| New China Machine Plant | general assembly | ||||
| Shanghai Broadcast Equipment Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Instrument Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Wire Communication Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinguang Telecommunications Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinhua Radio Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinjiang Machinery Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinli Machinery Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinxin Machinery Factory | liquid propellant rocket motors | ||||
| Shanghai Xinya Radio Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinyu Power Supply Factory | |||||
| Shanghai Xinzhonghua Machinery Factory | |||||
| Xijang Machine Plant | general assembly |
The 809th Institute in Shanghai is involved in military space project development and production of computers, automatic launch systems, and test and control equipment. With over 800 workers, including 360 engineers and technicians, it occupies nearly 16,000 square meters of facilities that include two assembly lines.
The Shanghai Institute of Power Machinery (SIPM) designs, develops, manufactures and tests liquid rocket engines. It has more than 400 employees, of whom 200 are technical staff with one third being senior engineers and professors. In the past SIPM has developed over 20 types of liquid rocket engines, such as Long March 3 first stage engine, apogee engine, orbit control engine and attitude control engines etc.