Chinese space-technology players are closing in on Elon Musk’s company and looking to grow their reach, experts say While SpaceX prepares to put its Starship rocket in orbit for the first time, foreign countries like China are looking to develop their own technology to rival Elon Musk’s company. SpaceX’s ascent in the rocket-launch industry has pushed China to make swift progress of its own, according to experts. And with China gaining ground, its homegrown companies could start competing with SpaceX before long.
In July, China successfully recovered the first-stage booster from a Long March 10B rocket for the first time, marking a milestone toward its development of reusable rockets. That technology is what has helped SpaceX keep costs down and improve its launch cadence over the years. The Long March milestone came six months ahead of expectations, according to Bernstein analysts, who called China a “serious competitor” in the long term.
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A lot is riding on its success. Then this week, China carried out four launches within 48 hours using multiple providers, including LandSpace and the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In addition to highlighting the growing diversification of China’s launch industry, some of the missions carried notable payloads.
A Long March 12 rocket this week delivered nine satellites for the Guowang megaconstellation — China’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite-internet service. More than 200 satellites are now active in that constellation, according to Jack Congram, a researcher covering China’s space industry. For comparison, it’s estimated that SpaceX has roughly 11,100 working Starlink satellites, according to data from the astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
SpaceX doesn’t directly compete with China’s launch providers; the nation’s two major conglomerates and its legion of startups primarily sell to their own government. But that could change, Besha said. He pointed to potential competition for services like what Starlink provides outside of the U.S. and China.
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