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- Key Takeaways
- Introduction
- The Commercial Heavy Hitters
- The Agile VTVL Innovators
- State-Owned Strategic Programs
- Infrastructure and Support
- Summary
- Appendix: Top 10 Questions Answered in This Article
- Appendix: Top 10 Frequently Searched Questions Answered in This Article
- 10 Best-Selling Books About Elon Musk
- Elon Musk
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
- Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
- Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets That Launched a Second Space Age
- Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century
- Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution
- Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors
- SpaceX: Elon Musk and the Final Frontier
- The Elon Musk Method: Business Principles from the World’s Most Powerful Entrepreneur
- Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World
- 10 Best-Selling SpaceX Books
- Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
- Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age
- SpaceX: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality
- SpaceX: Starship to Mars – The First 20 Years
- SpaceX’s Dragon: America’s Next Generation Spacecraft
- SpaceX: Elon Musk and the Final Frontier
- SpaceX From The Ground Up: 7th Edition
- Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race
- The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos
- Space Race 2.0: SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, NASA, and the Privatization of the Final Frontier
Key Takeaways
- LandSpace achieved an orbital milestone with Zhuque-3 in 2025, though the landing burn failed.
- Space Pioneer and Orienspace now compete in the heavy-lift sector with 15-17 ton payload rockets.
- CASC has expanded its reusable fleet to include the Long March 12A and a proven robotic spaceplane.
Introduction
China’s aerospace sector has entered a period of rapid diversification and flight testing as of January 2026. The industry has expanded beyond early theoretical models into a robust competitive landscape featuring both agile private startups and massive state-backed programs. The race to develop a Vertical Takeoff and Vertical Landing (VTVL) capability is no longer limited to a single national champion but is now a multi-faceted contest involving methalox, kerolox, and winged reentry technologies.
The year 2025 marked a turning point where theoretical designs translated into hardware on the launch pad. While complete booster recovery remains an elusive goal for orbital missions, the successful deployment of payloads and the aggressive testing of propulsion systems indicate that China is closing the technological gap with established western providers like SpaceX.
The Commercial Heavy Hitters
A significant shift in the commercial sector is the move toward larger, constellation-class launch vehicles. Companies are transitioning from small solid-fuel rockets to large liquid-fueled boosters capable of deploying massive satellite networks.
LandSpace and the Zhuque-3
LandSpace continues to lead the methalox (methane and liquid oxygen) revolution. The company’s flagship project, the Zhuque-3, is a stainless steel rocket designed for full reusability, initially targeting first-stage recovery.
In late 2025, LandSpace conducted the maiden orbital flight of the Zhuque-3. The mission was a partial success: the vehicle successfully delivered its 21.3-ton equivalent payload to orbit, validating the methalox engines and stainless steel structure. However, the first stage experienced an anomaly during the landing burn, resulting in a hard impact. Engineers are currently analyzing the failure modes of the landing leg deployment and throttle control, with a follow-up recovery attempt scheduled for 2026.
Space Pioneer and Tianlong-3
A formidable new contender has emerged in the form of Space Pioneer (Tianbing Aerospace). Their vehicle, the Tianlong-3, is designed to directly address the urgent demand for heavy-lift capacity.
With an expendable payload capacity of approximately 17 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the Tianlong-3 utilizes a 9-engine cluster configuration similar to the Falcon 9. As of January 2026, Space Pioneer has conducted aggressive propulsion tests of the first stage and is preparing for the vehicle’s maiden flight. The company’s strategy prioritizes early landing attempts, bypassing smaller suborbital hops to target orbital recovery directly.
Orienspace and Gravity-2
Orienspace has joined the fray with the Gravity-2, a medium-to-heavy lift vehicle capable of placing roughly 15.5 tons into orbit. While the maiden flight is planned for the near future, the company has stated that reusability is a “future goal” rather than an immediate capability for the first flight. The Gravity-2 represents a potential strategic reserve for commercial launch capacity, offering significant throughput even in its expendable configuration while reusable technologies are matured.
The Agile VTVL Innovators
While the heavy hitters focus on payload, other commercial players are refining the precise mechanics of vertical landing through iterative testing and smaller vehicles.
Deep Blue Aerospace
Deep Blue Aerospace focuses on the small-to-medium satellite market with its Nebula-1 rocket. Utilizing kerolox propellant, the Nebula-1 targets a reusable payload capacity of approximately 1 ton.
The company has distinguished itself through a rigorous campaign of VTVL tests using smaller prototypes. These tests have validated the guidance algorithms and throttle responses required for a soft landing. As of early 2026, Deep Blue Aerospace is preparing for the maiden orbital flight of the Nebula-1. The relatively smaller size of the vehicle allows for more agile manufacturing and lower financial risk per launch compared to its larger competitors.
i-Space and Hyperbola
i-Space (Beijing Interstellar Glory) continues to advance its methalox roadmap. Following the successful 1.5km vertical hop of the Hyperbola-2 test vehicle in 2022, the company is now integrating those lessons into the Hyperbola-3.
The Hyperbola-3 is a medium-lift orbital rocket designed for first-stage reusability. The maiden flight is considered imminent, with the company leveraging the data from the Hyperbola-2’s VTVL campaigns to fast-track the control system development.
State-Owned Strategic Programs
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is pursuing a parallel track, developing vehicles that serve national strategic interests, including crewed lunar exploration and spaceplane operations.
Long March 12A and 10
CASC has introduced the Long March 12A (CZ-12A) as a primary candidate for medium-lift VTVL operations. With a maiden orbital flight planned for late 2025 or early 2026, this liquid-fueled rocket is intended to spawn a reusable variant for future missions, potentially replacing older expendable models.
Simultaneously, the Long March 10 (CZ-10) is in active development as China’s next-generation crew launch vehicle. Designed to support the nation’s lunar ambitions, it features potential first-stage reusability. The vehicle comes in two configurations: a standard version for LEO (approx. 27 tons) and a heavy triple-core variant (CZ-10A) capable of sending 70 tons to lunar transfer orbit.
Long March 9 and CSSHQ
At the heavy end of the spectrum is the Long March 9, a super-heavy carrier rocket currently under redesign to incorporate a reusable first stage. Planned as a methalox giant, it targets payloads exceeding 100 tons, aimed at long-term lunar and deep space infrastructure.
Distinct from vertical rockets, CASC has also achieved repeated success with its Reusable Experimental Spacecraft (CSSHQ). This orbital spaceplane, launched atop a standard rocket, has completed multiple missions between 2020 and 2024, demonstrating autonomous runway landings and long-duration orbital stays. It represents a mature, operational branch of reusability focused on on-orbit servicing and return capability.
Infrastructure and Support
The ecosystem supporting these vehicles is expanding. Space Epoch is developing the Yuanxingzhe-1, a suborbital VTVL rocket, and has notably conducted tests from sea platforms. This aligns with the broader industry push toward offshore recovery, utilizing the vast unpopulated areas of the ocean to land boosters safely without endangering inland populations.
Summary
As of January 2026, China’s reusable launch sector has matured into a diverse ecosystem of competing architectures and propellants. The entry of high-capacity vehicles like the Tianlong-3 and Gravity-2 signals that commercial companies are ready to shoulder the burden of mega-constellation deployment. Meanwhile, CASC ensures that strategic capabilities – from lunar lift to robotic spaceplanes – remain secure. While a successful commercial orbital landing has yet to be perfected, the volume of flight hardware currently on the pads suggests that China is on the precipice of routine reusability.
Appendix: Top 10 Questions Answered in This Article
What is the status of the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket?
LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 conducted its maiden orbital flight in late 2025. While the launch to orbit was successful, the first stage failed its landing burn and was not recovered. A second attempt is targeted for 2026.
What is the Tianlong-3 and why is it important?
The Tianlong-3 is a medium-to-heavy lift rocket developed by Space Pioneer with an expendable capacity of 17 tons. It is significant because it utilizes a 9-engine cluster similar to the Falcon 9 and is designed specifically to deploy large numbers of satellites for internet constellations.
Does China have a reusable spaceplane?
Yes, CASC operates the Reusable Experimental Spacecraft (CSSHQ). Unlike vertical landing rockets, this vehicle launches vertically but lands horizontally on a runway like a plane. It has completed multiple successful orbital missions and autonomous landings as of 2026.
What is the payload capacity of the Deep Blue Aerospace Nebula-1?
The Nebula-1 is designed for the small-to-medium lift market. Its reusable payload capacity to Low Earth Orbit is approximately 1 ton. This makes it smaller than the Zhuque-3 or Tianlong-3 but potentially more agile for specific small-satellite clients.
Is the Long March 9 reusable?
The Long March 9 is currently being redesigned to feature a reusable first stage. It is a super-heavy lift vehicle intended for lunar and deep space missions with a payload capacity exceeding 100 tons, though the reusable variant is still in the development phase.
What fuel does the Long March 12A use?
The Long March 12A is a liquid-fueled rocket. While specific propellant combinations for all variants can vary, the shift in the industry and CASC’s newer roadmaps often favor environmentally friendlier and cleaner-burning fuels to support future reusability.
Has Orienspace launched a reusable rocket?
Not yet. Orienspace is developing the Gravity-2, which has a payload of 15.5 tons. While the maiden flight is planned, the company lists reusability as a “future goal,” meaning initial flights will likely be expendable.
What is Space Epoch doing differently?
Space Epoch is focusing on suborbital VTVL testing with its Yuanxingzhe-1 vehicle. Notably, they have conducted these vertical takeoff and landing tests from sea platforms, developing the infrastructure necessary for offshore recovery of future orbital boosters.
How does Galactic Energy’s Pallas-1 compare?
Galactic Energy’s Pallas-1 is a medium-lift rocket with a target payload of roughly 5 tons. It uses kerosene (kerolox) propellant and is currently in development, with the company having already demonstrated sea-launch capabilities using its smaller Ceres-1 rocket.
What happened to the Long March 8A?
While previously a focus, recent updates highlight the Long March 12A as a primary medium-lift VTVL candidate for CASC in the 2026 timeframe. The Long March 8 series continues to evolve, but the Long March 12A appears to be taking a leading role in the push for a new generation of reusable vehicles.
Appendix: Top 10 Frequently Searched Questions Answered in This Article
What are China’s new reusable rockets for 2026?
The major new reusable rockets active or entering flight status in 2026 include LandSpace’s Zhuque-3, Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3, Deep Blue Aerospace’s Nebula-1, and CASC’s Long March 12A.
Is Tianlong-3 a copy of Falcon 9?
The Tianlong-3 shares a very similar architecture to the Falcon 9, including a 9-engine cluster on the first stage and a comparable payload capacity of 17 tons. It is designed to fill a similar market niche for high-cadence satellite deployment.
Did the Chinese reusable rocket land successfully?
As of January 2026, no Chinese orbital-class rocket has successfully landed vertically after launching a payload to space. The Zhuque-3 reached orbit in 2025 but failed its landing. However, the robotic spaceplane (CSSHQ) has successfully landed on a runway multiple times.
How big is the Long March 9?
The Long March 9 is a super-heavy launch vehicle with a planned payload capacity of over 100 tons to Low Earth Orbit. It is comparable in class to the Starship system and is intended for massive infrastructure projects and crewed lunar landings.
What is the difference between methalox and kerolox rockets?
Methalox (methane/oxygen) burns cleaner with less residue, making it ideal for reusable engines like those on the Zhuque-3. Kerolox (kerosene/oxygen) is denser and more traditional but can leave soot in engines; it is used by the Tianlong-3 and Nebula-1.
Who is Space Pioneer?
Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, is a private Chinese aerospace company. They are developing the Tianlong series of rockets and have rapidly moved to develop the heavy-lift Tianlong-3 to compete for commercial satellite launch contracts.
Can China land rockets on ships?
Yes, companies are actively developing this capability. Space Epoch has tested VTVL on sea platforms, and Galactic Energy has performed sea launches. Offshore recovery is a key goal to increase safety and allow for more flexible launch trajectories.
What is the Yuanxingzhe-1?
The Yuanxingzhe-1 is a suborbital test rocket developed by Space Epoch. It is used to test vertical takeoff and landing technologies and sea-recovery infrastructure before applying them to larger orbital class vehicles.
Is the Chinese spaceplane used for weapons?
The Reusable Experimental Spacecraft (CSSHQ) is officially described as a testbed for peaceful space use and on-orbit servicing technologies. However, like the US X-37B, its specific missions are classified, leading to international speculation about its full capabilities.
When will China send humans to the moon?
China plans to send humans to the Moon by 2030. The Long March 10, currently in development with potential reusability features, is the specific rocket designated to launch the crew and the lunar lander for these missions.
10 Best-Selling Books About Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Walter Isaacson’s biography follows Elon Musk’s life from his upbringing in South Africa through the building of PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and other ventures. The book focuses on decision-making under pressure, engineering-driven management, risk tolerance, and the interpersonal dynamics that shaped Musk’s companies and public persona, drawing a continuous timeline from early influences to recent business and product cycles.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance presents a narrative biography that links Musk’s personal history to the founding and scaling of Tesla and SpaceX. The book emphasizes product ambition, factory and launch-site realities, leadership style, and the operational constraints behind headline achievements. It also covers setbacks, funding pressures, and the management choices that made Musk both influential in technology and controversial in public life.
Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
Eric Berger reconstructs SpaceX’s earliest phase, when technical failures, schedule slips, and financing risk threatened the company’s survival. The book centers on Musk’s role as founder and chief decision-maker while highlighting engineers, mission teams, and launch operations. Readers get a detailed account of how early launch campaigns, investor expectations, and engineering tradeoffs shaped SpaceX’s culture and trajectory.
Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets That Launched a Second Space Age
Also by Eric Berger, this book explains how SpaceX pushed reusable rocketry from uncertain experiments into repeatable operations. It tracks the technical, financial, and organizational choices behind landing attempts, iterative design changes, and reliability improvements. Musk is presented as a central driver of deadlines and risk posture, while the narrative stays grounded in how teams translated high-level direction into hardware and flight outcomes.
Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century
Tim Higgins examines Tesla’s transformation from a niche automaker into a mass-production contender, with Musk as the primary strategist and public face. The book covers internal conflict, production bottlenecks, financing stress, executive turnover, and the consequences of making manufacturing speed a defining business strategy. It reads as a business history of Tesla that ties corporate governance and product decisions directly to Musk’s leadership approach.
Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution
Hamish McKenzie tells Tesla’s story through the lens of product launches, market skepticism, and the organizational strain of rapid scaling. Musk appears as both brand amplifier and operational catalyst, while the narrative highlights the role of teams and supply chains in making electric vehicles mainstream. The book is written for nontechnical readers who want context on EV adoption, Tesla’s business model, and Musk’s influence on expectations in the auto industry.
Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors
Edward Niedermeyer offers an investigative look at Tesla’s early and mid-stage growth, emphasizing the tension between engineering reality, marketing narratives, and investor expectations. Musk’s leadership is examined alongside product delays, quality concerns, and strategic messaging, with attention to how a high-profile CEO can shape both market perception and internal priorities. The result is a critical business narrative focused on what it took to keep Tesla expanding.
SpaceX: Elon Musk and the Final Frontier
Brad Bergan presents an accessible overview of SpaceX’s development and its place in the modern space industry, with Musk as the central figure connecting financing, engineering goals, and public messaging. The book describes major programs, launch milestones, and the economic logic of lowering launch costs. It also situates Musk’s influence within the broader ecosystem of government contracts, commercial customers, and competitive pressure.
The Elon Musk Method: Business Principles from the World’s Most Powerful Entrepreneur
Randy Kirk frames Musk as a case study in execution, product focus, and decision-making speed, translating observed patterns into general business lessons. The book discusses leadership behaviors, hiring expectations, prioritization, and the use of aggressive timelines, while keeping the focus on how Musk’s style affects organizational output. It is positioned for readers interested in entrepreneurship and management practices associated with Musk-led companies.
Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World
Anna Crowley Redding provides a biography-style account that emphasizes Musk’s formative experiences and the stated motivations behind Tesla and SpaceX. The book presents his career as a sequence of high-stakes projects, explaining how big technical goals connect to business choices and public visibility. It is written in clear language for general readers who want a straightforward narrative of Musk’s life, work, and the controversies that follow disruptive companies.
10 Best-Selling SpaceX Books
Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
This narrative-driven SpaceX history focuses on the company’s earliest, most uncertain years, following the engineering, leadership, and operational decisions behind the first Falcon 1 attempts. It emphasizes how tight budgets, launch failures, and rapid iteration shaped SpaceX’s culture and set the foundation for later achievements in commercial spaceflight and reusable rockets.
Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age
Centered on the push to land and reuse orbital-class boosters, this book explains how SpaceX turned Falcon 9 reusability from a risky concept into a repeatable operational system. It connects engineering tradeoffs, test failures, launch cadence, and business pressure into a clear account of how reuse affected pricing, reliability, and the modern launch market.
SpaceX: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality
Written in an accessible explanatory style, this overview links SpaceX’s design philosophy to outcomes such as simpler manufacturing, vertically integrated production, and faster development cycles. It also frames how NASA partnerships and fixed-price contracting helped reshape the U.S. launch industry, with SpaceX as a central example of commercial spaceflight becoming routine.
SpaceX: Starship to Mars – The First 20 Years
This SpaceX book places Starship in the broader arc of the company’s first two decades, tying early Falcon programs to the scale of fully reusable systems. It explains why Starship’s architecture differs from Falcon 9, what has to change to support high flight rates, and how long-duration goals like Mars transport drive requirements for heat shields, engines, and rapid turnaround.
SpaceX’s Dragon: America’s Next Generation Spacecraft
Focusing on the Dragon spacecraft family, this account explains capsule design choices, cargo and crew mission needs, and how spacecraft operations differ from rocket operations. It provides a readable path through docking, life-support constraints, recovery logistics, and reliability considerations that matter when transporting people and supplies to orbit through NASA-linked programs.
SpaceX: Elon Musk and the Final Frontier
This photo-rich SpaceX history uses visuals and concise text to trace milestones from early launches to newer systems, making it suitable for readers who want context without technical density. It highlights facilities, vehicles, and mission highlights while explaining how Falcon 9, Dragon, and Starship fit into SpaceX’s long-term strategy in the private space industry.
SpaceX From The Ground Up: 7th Edition
Designed as a structured guide, this book summarizes SpaceX vehicles, launch sites, and mission progression in a reference-friendly format. It is especially useful for readers who want a clear overview of Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Dragon variants, and Starship development context, with an emphasis on how launch services and cadence influence SpaceX’s market position.
Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race
This industry narrative explains how SpaceX emerged alongside other private space efforts, showing how capital, contracts, and competitive pressure influenced design and launch decisions. SpaceX appears as a recurring anchor point as the book covers the shift from government-dominated space activity to a market where reusable rockets and rapid development cycles reshape expectations.
The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos
This book compares leadership styles and program choices across major private space players, with SpaceX as a principal thread in the story. It connects SpaceX’s execution pace to broader outcomes such as launch market disruption, NASA partnership models, and the changing economics of access to orbit, offering a balanced, journalistic view for nontechnical readers.
Space Race 2.0: SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, NASA, and the Privatization of the Final Frontier
This wide-angle look at privatized space activity places SpaceX within an ecosystem of competitors, partners, and regulators. It clarifies how NASA procurement, launch infrastructure, and commercial passenger and cargo missions intersect, while showing how SpaceX’s approach to reuse and production scale helped define expectations for the modern commercial spaceflight era.