Like the “Galaxy Express”: China, too, sets its sights on space tourism

New initiatives are placing Beijing in the wake of Western companies that take tourists into space purely for entertainment, an indication of unprecedented technological development.

by EMILIO COZZI e MATTEO MARINI

It is striking, or perhaps not, how the design, at least externally, of some Chinese spacecraft closely mirrors the shape of Western ones. Consider the Long March 9, which appears to be inspired by the system made up of SpaceX’s Super Heavy and Starship. The same is true of some of the most recent concepts, which bear witness to Beijing’s commitment on several fronts of space activity, namely suborbital flights for tourism and research, and the launch of reusable vehicles.

This is also true for the private company Cas Space with Lihong 1, a two stage rocket launched on January 12 from the Jiuquan Center in northwestern China, which more or less follows the script adopted by Blue Origin with New Shepard. There is ascent, separation of the capsule from the rocket beyond 100 kilometers in altitude, the conventional boundary of space, a few minutes spent in microgravity during the first phase of descent, and then the opening of the parachutes. China is fully entering the space tourism sector, a segment that until now has remained almost exclusively in the hands of three companies, each led by a multibillionaire, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson. For Beijing, this is an opportunity born of technological progress in research and development aimed at reusable solutions, both launch vehicles and capsules, designed to reach orbit and return carrying scientific experiments and astronauts, or in this case taikonauts.

Tests and tourism

Cas Space used a solid propellant launcher with grid fins at the base, which pushed the capsule to an altitude of about 120 kilometers before it landed smoothly, assisted by a parachute. On board were scientific experiments, including one involving 3D printing to test the behavior of metals in weightlessness during additive manufacturing, and rose seeds exposed to space radiation. The company intends to guarantee its passengers up to 300 seconds, five minutes, in weightless conditions. The rocket returned to the ground in a controlled crash.

The payload may consist of people, paying passengers seeking a unique experience, or scientific experiments to be conducted in an environment where Earth’s gravitational acceleration is neutralized. It is no coincidence that Lihong 2 is under development, capable of carrying up to seven passengers beyond the Kármán line for four minutes of weightless experience. Entry into service is expected in 2027. Another private company, Deep Blue, is also planning a rocket with reentry and reusability capabilities, as well as a capsule for suborbital flight, very similar to the one used by Blue Origin. As for its development, following optimistic announcements in October 2024 and the sale of the first tickets, two seats at around 140,000 dollars each, no further significant updates have been released. The first commercial flights are expected to begin in 2027.

It is important to emphasize that what has been described so far does not mean tourism alone, but also science and logistics. Chinese companies are aiming high. While suborbital flight remains a gamble, orbital activities are already the core of the space economy and in the coming years they are expected to become increasingly attractive, as the cost of access to space declines. In December, alongside a reusable capsule for suborbital trajectories, the commercial company AZSpace, which aims to develop crewed orbital spaceflight capabilities, launched the small cargo vehicle Dear 5. The goal of the initial tests was to validate reuse technologies so that, in the future, the capsules could also be assigned to more complex missions, remaining in orbit for several days or months, with taikonauts on board.

Another spacecraft manufacturer, Interstellor, is also working on a capsule for suborbital tourism and more. The company is engaged in building what it calls a Chinese Dragon spaceship, intended to usher in a new era of space travel for ordinary people and low cost commercial cargo transport into space by 2028. The design in this case resembles that of Blue Origin, with large windows to admire the view, but with an extension similar to that of Crew Dragon, which houses solar panels and onboard systems for longer journeys.

Casc, owned by the Chinese government, has developed a recoverable spacecraft for microgravity research, Shijian, which carried out its inaugural flight in September 2024. It transported payloads for the cultivation of plants and microorganisms, scientific tests, and verification of new autonomous and controllable technologies. It returned two weeks after launch.

China’s space economy and technology are growing at a dizzying pace. This is demonstrated by the hundreds of new companies, startups, and private initiatives, as well as the tests and experimental prototypes being developed, from spacecraft to new launch vehicles, with around ten Chinese launcher debuts expected in 2026 alone. Space is, for Beijing, a vehicle used to go far, a driver of economic growth and geopolitical prestige. And today, as with all human activities, China has also begun to view it as a realm to be enjoyed for pleasure.