The “Starship” Made in China: Reusable and Powerful. Beijing Follows America into Space.

At the Zhuhai Air Show in Guangdong, Beijing showcased its vision for space exploration and orbital activities, closely mirroring the American approach: reusability and a rapidly growing sector of commercial enterprises, supported by the government.

BY EMILIO COZZI

Gone are the days when “Chinese imitation” was a disparaging term for low-quality manufacturing.
Today, underestimating Beijing, even beyond Earth’s atmosphere, is unwise. China is fully immersed in space activities and programs, both near and far from Earth. Its vision bears similarities to the Western model, at least in its execution. This is evident in the design of the spacecraft and vehicles that will carry materials and future generations of taikonauts.

China is following the path blazed by SpaceX, adopting the strategic asset of reusability, which now extends to cargo dynamics with mini-shuttles capable of returning to Earth via controlled landings. These ideas represent a new way of tackling the challenges of outer space. The key question remains who will reach the finish line first, assuming this race is more of a marathon than a sprint.

Long March 9: A Super Heavy Rocket for Lunar Ambitions

At the 15th China Air Show in Zhuhai, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) unveiled the latest design of the Long March 9 rocket. First introduced in 2021, this super heavy launch vehicle will power China’s ambitions toward the Moon and beyond. Its performance is expected to rival SpaceX’s fully reusable launch system, and its design, reminiscent of the Super Heavy-Starship tandem developed in Boca Chica, Texas, is strikingly similar.

As is typical with China, specific details are scarce. However, the rocket is reported to have a maximum height of 114 meters, a mass of 4,400 tons, and a liftoff thrust of 6,100 tons. The diameter is 10.6 meters, with a payload capacity of 100-150 tons to low Earth orbit and over 50 tons to lunar transfer orbit. These numbers align closely with the performance of Starship. A video released on November 12 during the Zhuhai event showcases a design heavily “inspired” by its American counterpart, particularly regarding its fully reusable configuration.

A Mirror Image

Even the details shown in the video strongly resemble the form and functionality of the American system. These include the upper stage flaps, essential for aerodynamic maneuvers during descent. The spacecraft’s reentry phase is depicted with a “belly flop” maneuver, similar to SpaceX’s approach, followed by a vertical landing. The equivalent of the grid fins on the first stage booster, used for reentry and recovery, also appear identical to those on the Super Heavy.

The development of the Long March 9 has been nearly a decade in the making, with multiple projects and concepts evolving over the years. The powerful two-stage rocket designed to carry astronauts to the Moon will be available in at least three versions, one of which is fully reusable, akin to Starship.

A preliminary version of this super-heavy rocket is expected to launch by 2033, while the fully reusable model is projected to become operational in the 2040s. However, Beijing is likely to accelerate its timeline to support various exploration projects, such as a research laboratory at the lunar South Pole, which China plans to build in partnership with Moscow, as well as orbital infrastructure.

Exploration and Business: The Musk Model

As with Starship, the power of China’s new rocket will serve not only the exploration of distant frontiers—carrying crews and cargo to places where no human has ever set foot—but also terrestrial business and strategic orbital operations. These range from satellite infrastructure, with mega constellations being prepared for connectivity and Earth observation, to solar power generation in space (known as Space-Based Solar Power). Such operations require a cost-effective transport system. The high power and reusability of these rockets offer significant savings; SpaceX promises costs as low as $200 per kilogram with Starship. This efficiency allows for the delivery of large payloads, such as supplies and tools for astronauts, massive structures like lunar habitats, or dozens of satellites per launch.

The first destination will be the Moon, a goal China is determined to pursue in a head-to-head race with the West. But there is no reason to rule out the possibility of one day sending humans to the Red Planet. Mars remains the ultimate dream, and while the U.S. currently enjoys a technological lead of at least a decade, China has a proven track record of excelling on its first attempt at major space missions. The Chang’e lunar program, with a 100% success rate, is a testament to this.

The Reusable Model

China’s rapidly expanding space ecosystem, driven by a vision to surpass the U.S. in technology, should not be underestimated. In Washington, both NASA and the government express concern over a potential “comeback” by China in lunar exploration—a domain long dominated by the U.S. While landing taikonauts on the Moon will be a more challenging endeavor, the competition is real, and the challenge is significant.

Meanwhile, the Western model has clearly taken root in China, as evidenced by the numbers: in 2023, China recorded 67 launches, 13 of which were carried out by private companies, with 12 successful. The private sector is growing rapidly in the high-risk field of launch vehicles.

China’s adoption of reusability—once revolutionary until SpaceX turned it into an industry standard —is particularly noteworthy. For instance, LandSpace plans to launch its ZQ-3 next year. “It has already successfully completed vertical takeoff and landing tests at 100 and 10,000 meters, signaling substantial progress in reusable rocket technology,” stated Zhang Changwu, founder and CEO of LandSpace. Six ZQ-3 rockets are expected to be delivered by 2025, with three ready for launch. According to the company, their annual launch capacity will reach 244 tons by 2026, critical for supporting China’s satellite internet initiatives.

Videos of the ZQ-3’s first stage tests resemble the early “grasshopper” leaps of SpaceX’s Falcon 9
during its controlled landing trials.

Uncanny Resemblance

The similarities are hard to ignore, especially in the case of Haolong, China’s cargo shuttle unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show. This mini-shuttle, with its identical colors and operational dynamics, closely resembles Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a U.S. cargo vehicle set to debut next year for resupplying the International Space Station and, later in the decade, private stations.

Both vehicles—American and Chinese—are designed to transport cargo, not people. They are equipped with thermal shields and wings, enabling them to glide and land on a runway upon reentry to Earth.

As promised by the Space Shuttle decades ago, and reaffirmed by experimental military vehicles like Boeing’s X-37 and its Chinese counterpart Shenlong, the goal is to dominate a technology that once promised to revolutionize space access. Forty years later, the space shuttle concept awaits the technological advancements necessary to make it safe and sustainable.

China’s Commercial Space Initiative

Until recently, China’s commercial space sector was almost non-existent in an industry dominated by state control. Now, the country is actively developing large constellations for connectivity and Earth observation, with GalaxySpace and Changguang Satellite Technology leading the charge.

Supported by the government with a decade-long outlook, a forthcoming plan will outline the strategy for 2026-2035. Today, China’s private space sector includes more than 500 companies—a small number in a country with nearly 1.5 billion people and the world’s second-largest GDP. However, this limited scale also reflects immense potential for growth that is hard to constrain.