China will use the expected launch capability from its emerging commercial space sector to help achieve its plans for large groups of satellites.
This will allow traditional state-owned players to focus on civil and military programs, including human spaceflight, military and lunar plans. It will also enhance China’s overall launch and space abilities and meet national strategic goals.
China has revealed plans for two separate low Earth orbit communications megaconstellations as a response to projects like SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb. Guowang These are the national project, or SatNet, consisting of around 13,000 satellites, and the Shanghai-backed G60 Starlink initiative, which raised 6.7 billion yuan ($943 million) earlier this year. More than a hundred are planned for launch this year, but thousands will need to be in place in the coming years to secure use of frequencies. China will need new launch capability from commercial actors to get the planned satellites into orbit, according to a report from China Central Television (CCTV). It is noted in the report that China needs to act quickly before low Earth orbit becomes full of spacecraft and claimed frequencies used by other actors.
The report acknowledges the dominance achieved by SpaceX and its reusable rockets over the past decade, and sees this approach as addressing new demands for China to expand its launch capacity, while still meeting needs for existing national civil, military, science and deep space missions. report This information comes from China Central Television (CCTV).
Officials have stated that contracts for satellite internet megaconstellations, which are part of a larger national policy for new infrastructures, will be open to commercial players.
The commercial launch companies in China started to emerge around 2015 following a decision by the central government to open up parts of the space sector to private funding. The initial launch efforts focused on smaller, simpler solid rockets, but the sector is maturing. China’s first commercially-developed liquid propellant rockets are expected to reach orbit in 2023, and many players are now working on large, reusable launchers.
Several companies, including Landspace and Space Pioneer, are working on reusable rockets. Meanwhile, Deep Blue Aerospace could make its first orbital launch and recovery attempt later this year with the Nebula-1 rocket.
Landspace is using the methane-liquid oxygen reusable propulsion, and plans to use stainless steel for rockets in the future. Zhuque-2 Space Pioneer uses the kerosene-fueled propulsion. Zhuque-3Galactic Energy (Pallas-1) and iSpace (Hyperbola series) are also among the companies working on reusable rockets. Tianlong-3This information is key to note.
| Company | Rocket Name | Rocket Type | The methane-liquid oxygen reusable rockets have a payload capacity of 8,500 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), with the first flight planned for 2025. |
| iSpace | Hyperbola-3 | Methalox reusable rockets have a payload capacity of up to 21,000 kg to LEO, with the first flight planned for 2025. | Galactic Energy uses kerosene-liquid oxygen reusable propulsion. |
| Landspace | Zhuque-3 | This propulsion has a payload capacity of 5,000 kg to LEO, or 3,000 kg to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). | Kerolox reusable propulsion has a payload capacity of 7,800 kg to 500 km SSO. |
| Deep Blue Aerospace's kerolox reusable rockets have a payload capacity of 1,000 kg to 500 km SSO, with the first flight planned in late 2024. | Pallas-1 | Space Pioneer | Similar to Falcon 9 in launch ability; plans to reuse the first stage. |
| CAS Space | Kinetica 2 | 25,600 kg to Low Earth Orbit. |