FPI / June 6, 2025
By Richard Fisher
While advanced American space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin may now be leading the world in the development of advanced reusable heavy-lift space launch vehicles (SLVs), China is investing heavily in the development of similar reusable heavy lift SLVs, meaning future American dominance of this sector is not assured.
First stage test “hoppers” of six Chinese space companies that are developing vertical takeoff/vertical landing (VTVL) space launch vehicles (SLVs), five are “private,” illustrating China’s goal of dominating the market for low cost space launch services. Source: Via Sinodefense ForumMusk has achieved remarkable success with his innovative Falcon series of reusable SLVs, which has enabled the United States to lead the world in the number of annual space launches, with reusability the key to lowering the cost of space launches.
SpaceX also provides almost intimate transparency into the rough test program for his reusable Starship superheavy lift SLV, that when fully operational, could lift 100 to 150 tons of cargo to the Moon.
This potentially could give the United States and its Artemis Program partners a vital lead in populating the Moon and determining its geopolitics in competition with China and its Russian ally.
But over the next several years a significant number of Chinese state-owned and “private” space launch companies will also be entering the market for reusable, low-cost space launch services, a number that may exceed the number of U.S. companies offering this service.
Private Chinese space launch companies, of course, are not independent of the control of the People’s Liberation Army and the leading Chinese Communist Party, meaning that all Chinese private space launch providers could also be ordered to carry out military missions.
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China answers SpaceX with its own expanding space ‘private’ sector added by Editor Two on June 6, 2025
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