HELSINKI — China’s latest government work report emphasizes the commercial space sector as a key driver of high-tech development, highlighting its potential to transform the nation’s space capabilities.
China will “promote safe and sound development of commercial space, the low-altitude economy, and other emerging industries,” Li Qiang, the country’s premier, said at China’s annual political sessions in Beijing, March 5.
Li stated the goal of developing “new quality productive forces” in light of local conditions and fostering emerging industries, including commercial space. The term new quality productive forces refers to high-tech, high efficiency and high quality development, including areas such as artificial intelligence, big data and new materials.
The lunar farside sample return mission Chang’e-6 was also noted as a major achievement for China from 2024, while applications from the country’s Beidou GNSS system were also noted as an emerging industry for growth.
Commercial space appeared in the influential government work report for the first time in 2024. Beijing, Shanghai and other cities and provinces such as Hainan, Hubei and Guangdong have since developed action plans to promote the development of commercial space.
The noting of commercial space in the latest report underlines China’s commitment to developing the sector as a part in a drive for innovation-driven development, and is reflected in local initiatives serving national goals.
“Provincial governments in China are often mandated by the central government to pursue specific policies,” Joao Falcao Serra, Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), told SpaceNews. “They support companies both through investment but also on the regulatory side, such as land grants, both to align with central directives and to develop their own industrial bases. This brings economic benefits to the region and enhances its political significance within China.”
Reusable rocketry
A key aspect of China’s commercial space strategy is its investment in reusable rocketry, a move aimed at enhancing launch capabilities, reducing costs, and positioning Chinese firms to compete more effectively with industry leaders like SpaceX.. This year state-owned and commercial launch service providers are planning to perform tests and first orbital flights of a number of potentially reusable rockets.
The significance of these developments was underlined by a senior space official on the sidelines of the political sessions in Beijing.
“After rockets can be recovered and reused, the main changes we’ll see are faster launch frequencies and, of course, a noticeable reduction in launch costs,” Rong Yi, a rocket designer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told China Central Television (CCTV).
“This shall bring us closer to the reality of large-scale, rapid, and free access to space. From a technological development perspective, the application of recovery technology will drive upgrades and innovation in our capabilities,” Rong said.
Last year CASC and commercial firm Landspace conducted 10-kilometer-level launch and landing tests with prototype first stages. CASC performed a much higher altitude test early this year but the outcome is unknown. Landspace aims for a first orbital launch of the Zhuque-3 in Q3 of this year, while CASC’s reusable Long March 12A could also fly for the first time in 2025.
Other rockets, such as Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3, are also expected to have first launches. Tianlong-3’s first flight has been delayed by a near-disastrous mishap in June 2024, when a first stage undergoing a static-fire test broke free of its clamps and climbed into the sky before crashing and exploding.
China opened portions of its space sector to private involvement in late 2014, seeing the emergence of firms engaged in light-lift, mostly solid propellant rockets and small satellites. The space for action has grown with policy and other support, resulting in larger, reusable rockets, an under-construction megaconstellation vying for international customers, and a diverse ecosystem of companies and activities, often supported by local initiatives seeking to bring growth and innovation to their areas.