China is striving to break Elon Musk’s grip on reusable launch vehicles and close the technology gap with the US. The country is relying on both aerospace startups and state-owned enterprises to develop rockets capable of multiple launches.
One company, LandSpace Technology Corp., recently made a significant step by completing a test flight of its reusable rocket, Zhuque-3, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Another company, Deep Blue, is set to test its own reusable rocket soon, pushing China closer to achieving the low-cost, high-frequency space launches that SpaceX has mastered.
Huo Liang, CEO of Deep Blue, acknowledged that China has not yet caught up to SpaceX, whose reusable rockets offer a major cost advantage in global space missions. However, China aims to not only match but surpass SpaceX in this field. With government support and significant investment, Chinese companies like Deep Blue hope to revolutionize the global space industry.