Reusable Rocket Development Advances in China

Reusable Rocket Development Advances in China
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 10, 2025

China's commercial reusable rocket industry is making significant strides, driven by increasing demand from major satellite internet constellations such as Guowang and Spacesail, which plan to deploy tens of thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit. This demand is pushing forward advancements in rocket technology, materials, and testing processes.

Meng Xianbo, chief strategy officer at Beijing-based Galactic Energy, emphasized that these market forces are catalyzing continuous innovation in reusable launch systems. Galactic Energy is actively developing two reusable rockets: the PALLAS-1 and PALLAS-2. The PALLAS-1, a two-stage rocket fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene, weighs approximately 290 metric tons at launch and can carry up to 8 tons into low Earth orbit. Its maiden flight is scheduled for the first half of this year, with two commercial missions planned.

Building on the PALLAS-1 platform, the PALLAS-2 will offer an increased payload capacity of 30 tons to low Earth orbit and is expected to complete its assembly and testing within the year.

LandSpace, another leading Chinese space firm, successfully conducted a 10-kilometer vertical takeoff and landing recovery test of its Zhuque-3 rocket in September last year. This marked the first vertical takeoff and landing recovery by a Chinese rocket using liquid oxygen and methane engines. The Zhuque-3 is on track for its first launch, with three missions planned this year.

"These missions will collectively deliver around 60 tons of payload, and our objective is to achieve the successful recovery of the rocket's first stage within these flights," said Zhang Changwu, CEO of LandSpace.

Meanwhile, i-Space is advancing its commercial reusable rocket program with the SQX-2Y. The company completed vertical takeoff and landing flight tests on Nov. 2 and Dec. 10, 2023. Lessons from these flights are informing the development of its next-generation reusable rocket, the SQX-3, which is scheduled for its first orbital launch and recovery test in December this year.

Following the first stage's recovery, the rocket will be refurbished and fitted with a new second stage to conduct its first reuse flight in June next year, according to Ji Haibo, deputy general manager of i-Space. The maritime recovery platform for the SQX-3's initial mission began construction in November last year.

Deep Blue Aerospace is also making progress with its reusable Nebula-1 rocket, which is powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene. The company announced plans for commercial suborbital flights beginning in 2027. The Nebula-1 successfully completed 10 of 11 critical validation tests during its high-altitude vertical recovery flight test on Sept. 22 last year.

Extensive high-altitude recovery tests are planned for 2025 and 2026 to further assess the feasibility and stability of the technology. The data collected will support efforts to achieve full orbital launch and recovery capabilities.

Huo Liang, founder and chairman of Deep Blue Aerospace, believes that advances in rocket reusability will significantly lower space travel costs, making it more accessible to a wider audience.

"We aim to enable more people to experience space travel, fostering greater interest in space exploration and broadening humanity's understanding of the universe," Huo said.