# reusable rockets
Latest news and articles about reusable rockets
Total: 10 articles found
Shanghai Bets on a ‘Rocket Star City’ in Minhang to Forge a RMB100 billion Commercial Space Hub
Shanghai has announced plans to build a 9.3 km2 commercial-space cluster in Minhang—“Rocket Star City”—aiming to establish a full reusable-rocket industry chain and annual capacities of up to 150 rockets and 500 satellites by 2030, targeting roughly RMB100 billion in industry output. The initiative accelerates China’s push to industrialise commercial space but faces constraints around launch access, regulation and workforce scaling.
China’s Commercial Space Race Eyes 2026 as the Year of Reusable Rockets
At a Beijing forum, chief engineers from three leading Chinese commercial space firms unveiled competing plans to prove reusable rocket technology in 2026. Their strategies differ—batch production and engine upgrades, large kerolox modular rockets, and a dual small/large vehicle path—yet all target lower costs and higher cadence to serve satellite‑internet constellations.
China’s New Space Start‑Up Books First Tourists and Aims for Crewed Flight by 2028 — A Commercial Space Push Gains Momentum
A Beijing commercial space firm unveiled its CYZ‑1 crew capsule and says it has reserved seats for more than 20 tourists across multiple vehicles, aiming for a crewed flight in 2028. The move highlights China’s accelerating commercial space ecosystem, rising investor interest, and potential spillovers into batteries, energy storage and high‑tech supply chains, even as technical, regulatory and market risks persist.
Blue Arrow Aims for Rocket Returns, 30-Launch Annual Cadence to Speed China’s LEO Build‑out
Blue Arrow Aerospace has announced a three‑phase plan to make its Zhuque‑3 rocket partially reusable, achieve a rocket return and reflight this year, and scale production to 20–30 launches annually to support Chinese LEO constellations. The company also plans a Zhuque‑3A upgrade with multiple recovery modes and new 100‑ton‑class engines to lift recovered payload to about 18 tonnes.
Chinese Supplier Confirms It Made Grid Fins for 'Xingji Rongyao', Signalling Deeper Commercial Space Supply Chains
Guanglian Aviation confirmed it supplied grid fins for the Chinese vehicle 'Xingji Rongyao', a sign that private suppliers in China are producing flight‑critical hardware associated with guided re‑entry and potential stage recovery. This reflects growing technical sophistication and supply‑chain depth in China’s commercial space sector, with implications for market competition and technology governance.
Beijing’s “Rocket Street” Opens as a New Hub for China’s Commercial Space Drive
Beijing has opened the Rocket Street complex in E‑Town, a 145,000 sqm commercial space hub that consolidates R&D, testing, manufacturing and operations under one roof. The project underpins Beijing’s strategic push to scale China’s commercial space industry, accelerate reusable‑rocket capability and foster hundreds of high‑tech firms and unicorns by 2028.
China’s Commercial Space Push Accelerates: Private Crew Capsule Test and State Giants Recommit to Reusable Rockets
On January 18, private firm Interstellor announced a successful full-scale test of a crewed-capsule landing-buffer system, a first for China’s commercial space sector. The same week, state-owned CASIC and CASC set 2026 priorities that emphasise aerospace-defence business lines and a concerted push to master reusable-rocket technology, signalling tighter alignment between private innovation and state industrial strategy.
Two Rocket Failures in One Day Expose China’s Launch Bottleneck and the Fragility of Commercial Space Ambitions
On 17 January 2026 two Chinese launch vehicles — a Long March 3B and the privately built Gushenxing-2 — failed in separate missions, highlighting a launch‑capacity bottleneck that threatens commercial space ambitions. The twin setbacks renew focus on the technical challenge of reusable rockets, the need for steady satellite‑constellation demand, and the role of regulation in shaping industry growth.
Two Chinese Rockets Fail in a Single Day — A Blow to National and Commercial Launch Ambitions
China experienced two orbital launch failures on January 17: a Long March 3B state rocket suffered a third‑stage anomaly at Xichang, and private firm Xinghe Power’s Guxhenxing‑2 failed on its maiden flight from Jiuquan. The incidents expose operational risks as China scales a dense launch tempo and commercial providers transition toward reusable liquid technologies.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Carries Classified NROL-105 to Orbit, Marking 600th Falcon Launch
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from California on January 17, successfully placing the classified NROL‑105 payload into orbit and completing the 600th Falcon‑series mission. The flight underscores the growing role of commercial launch providers in delivering sensitive national‑security assets and raises strategic questions about reliance on a dominant private supplier.