China to debut large reusable rockets in 2025 and 2026 China’s main state-owned contractor plans test flights for two new large diameter reusable rockets in the next couple of years, despite existing commercial reusability efforts.

Various companies, including the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation plan on launching reusable rockets in the coming years. CASC’s announcement was made yesterday. Before then, I believe they only had plans to make the Long March 9 superheavy rocket reusable in the 2030s? Or maybe I missed some news a while back. China’s space industry is very convoluted. I should probably make a master post about it sometime for everyone’s sake.

  • iridaniotter [she/her]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
    3·
    9 months ago

    Long March 9 or 10? My understanding was that 10 is closer to Falcon Heavy, will not be reusable (maybe this changed for the first stage??), and will be ready to launch in a few years. Meanwhile 9 is closed to Starship, will eventually be reusable, and still has like a decade to go.

    CZ-10 has a diameter of 5 meters so maybe CASC is talking about it here, or maybe there’s a new rocket being developed.

    • impartial_fanboy [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      3·
      9 months ago

      Oh sorry, to clarify: The 5m one in the article is almost certainly Long March 10. They seem to have decided to make the first stage reusable, contrary to previous statements. It’s not clear if that means just the boosters or the boosters and the core but I would guess all three like falcon heavy does. It’s also, at least for now, the rocket they plan on sending people to the moon with before 2030 with an Apollo-style lander.

      The smaller 4 meter one seems to be for a commercial rocket.

      Long March 9 last I saw was still not planned to be reusable until the 2040’s but if this recent space push actually turns into a race I’m sure they’ll accelerate that.