Chinese Enterprises Aim to Break SpaceX's Monopoly in Reusable Rockets

September 13th news, Chinese enterprises are committed to breaking Elon Musk's monopoly in the field of reusable rockets and narrowing the technological gap with the US.

Currently, both aerospace start-ups and state-owned enterprises in China are developing reusable rockets, aiming to send satellites into low Earth orbit and significantly reduce launch costs.

Landspace is one of them. On Wednesday this week, the company's independently developed Zhuque-3 VTVL-1 reusable rocket successfully completed a ten-kilometer-level vertical takeoff and landing return flight test at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It is reported that this marks a major breakthrough in China's commercial aerospace in reusable rocket technology, laying the foundation for the future high-capacity, low-cost, high-frequency, reusable aerospace launch.

Another notable start-up is Deep Blue Aerospace. The company plans to test its reusable rocket in the near future. If the test is successful, Deep Blue Aerospace will also take an important step towards providing regular orbital launch services similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

Deep Blue Aerospace's chief executive, Huo Liang, said that SpaceX has set a new standard in the aerospace industry. He said: SpaceX's rockets have achieved regular launches and repeatedly perform commercial tasks, while China has not yet mastered this technology.

Although China's aerospace projects have caught up with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in lunar and Mars missions, there is still a need to break through in reusable rocket technology. In fact, most rockets in Asia, Europe and Russia still rely on single-use, which makes SpaceX almost monopolize the global commercial launch market.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company has also made certain progress in the field of reusable rockets. Its New Shepard rocket can already perform suborbital flight missions and send passengers briefly into space. The New Glenn rocket for orbital launches is expected to make its debut this November, four years later than originally planned.

Since 2017, by reusing rocket boosters, SpaceX has not only reduced launch costs but also increased launch frequency, and quickly completed the deployment of more than 6000 Starlink global satellite Internet satellites.

Compared to using single-use rockets, this brings a huge cost advantage to SpaceX and can maintain a stable launch rhythm throughout the year.

Chinese enterprises also said that they are on the verge of a breakthrough. For example, the Nebula-1 rocket prototype of Deep Blue Aerospace is already in research and development. Just as Chinese enterprises dominate manufacturing in many other industries, mass-producing rockets is also a goal they want to conquer. The goal of Chinese enterprises is not only to catch up with SpaceX but also to surpass it in some aspects.

Deep Blue Aerospace plans to conduct orbital launches next year and is currently addressing some technical issues in rocket design.

Carter Palmer, chief analyst of the space systems at Forecast International, a Connecticut-based aerospace and defense market research firm, said: When China's reusable rockets are put into use, their cost will be significantly lower than SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

Rocket crash

But it will take time to achieve this goal. Even if Chinese rocket manufacturers succeed in the initial tests, the rapid deployment of reusable rockets still requires time and multiple tests. So far, there have been problems in many technical tests. For example, in June this y ear, an rocket of Tianbing Technology unexpectedly took off and crashed on a hillside 1.5 kilometers away from the launch pad.

Meanwhile, the ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran in Europe, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, and the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the US, are also working hard to develop their own reusable rockets. The development of reusable rockets can not only increase the launch frequency but also effectively reduce the single launch cost of rockets.

On June 21st, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' chief executive, Izawa Seiji, said in an interview that the company aims to eventually launch a reusable launch vehicle, but we have not yet entered the stage of developing specific products.

For China, the development of reusable rockets is not only related to national pride but also involves national security issues.

Peter Garretson, a senior researcher at the American Foreign Policy Council, pointed out: China needs reusable rockets to build low Earth orbit satellite networks, lunar research bases, and solar orbital power stations and other projects.

All these plans require a huge capacity to transport substances on a large scale in the solar system. Without a reusable launch system, it is not economically feasible, Garretson said. Reusability is an absolute key to China's space economic development plan.

Desert test

In addition to Landspace and Deep Blue Aerospace, other Chinese companies are also competing to develop reusable rockets. Subsidiaries of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation have conducted similar tests earlier this year. In June this year, the Shanghai Academy of Aerospace Technology of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation conducted relevant tests in the desert and plans to achieve the first space flight of a reusable rocket in 2025.

Landspace plans to start commercial launches in 2025, and other companies developing reusable rockets include Xinghe Power and Dongfang Space. Yao Song, the co-chief executive of Dongfang Space, said that the company plans to launch the reusable Gravity-II rocket in early 2026.

It is certain that sufficient funds are promoting the development of China's aerospace industry. In February this year, the Reusable Rocket Technology Innovation Center was established in Beijing to help start-ups develop.

In terms of importance, look at other countries' (investment directions). Where are they investing? They are investing in space, Tim Keating, chief strategy officer of SierraSpace, said at the annual Aerospace Summit of the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Wednesday. In fact, I think China is ahead of us.

In July this year, Deep Blue Aerospace announced that it raised nearly 1 billion yuan from Chinese investors. Its competitor Dongfang Space obtained about 600 million yuan in financing in January this year. And Xinghe Power raised 1.1 billion yuan from local investors in December last year.

Even so, Li Jianwei, a partner of Beijing Zhencheng Investment Management and an investor of Deep Blue Aerospace, said that although the industry has received extensive support, it remains to be seen whether China can breed enterprises that can defeat SpaceX in this field.

Every company says they want to be the Chinese SpaceX, but the reality is that not everyone can do it. Li Jianwei said.