China readies first commercial resupply craft, first booster reflight, and next landing attempt

Date:
Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:25:50 +0000

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As its launch cadence continues to grow, China is stepping further towards reusable rockets as The post China readies first commercial resupply craft, first booster reflight, and next landing attempt appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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As its launch cadence continues to grow, China is stepping further towards reusable rockets as it prepares for the first re-flight of a previously-flown booster, while the Chang Zheng 12A will attempt to become Chinas third rocket to have its first stage recovered, on its second attempt.

In addition to testing droneships for future ocean landings, China is also increasing the number of vehicles that can be launched from platforms at sea. Meanwhile, its two major broadband megaconstellations are preparing to roll out a domestic service; Chinas long-established navigation and positioning constellation has completed an upgrade; and Chinas new commercial resupply spacecraft are moving closer to launch.



The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced two awards in late October
2024 to develop cargo services for the Tiangong space station. Two designs were selected: Qingzhou , developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS), and the Haolong reusable spaceplane from the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute part of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). These two spacecraft are intended to complement the operational Tianzhou craft, which currently flies roughly once every nine months, with additional low-cost flights. Qingzhou prototype (left) and render of the craft approaching Tiangong (right)
(Credit: CAS Space)

The prototype Qingzhou (or light vessel) began its maiden flight in March and is expected to remain in sun-synchronous orbit for up to three years. The craft, named Baixiang (white elephant), made no attempt to approach or dock with the station, and instead, its 27 cubic meters of internal volume are being used to carry 1,020 kg of scientific research payloads, including a desert moss revival experiment.

This experiment demonstrated the successful revival and survival of a drought-tolerant moss, Syntrichia caninervis, in an onboard cultivation chamber using a small amount of water. Native to the deserts of northwestern China, this resilient moss can withstand severe cold, dehydration, and radiation. The findings could help researchers assess plants for future life support systems on Mars.

Other experiments onboard the prototype also featured a working microgravity space fridge and a tethered adhesive anchor, colloquially referred to as a spider-grip, drawing inspiration from the Spider-Man characters web shooters. Applying a gentle attachment that doesnt penetrate the target, the technology could have potential applications in capturing non-cooperative targets in the future, potentially even for the removal of orbital debris in the longer
term. Additional experiments included the release of two satellites, one of which performed rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) outside of the craft. A Qingzhou spacecraft undergoing assembly (Credit: CAS Space)

A second Qingzhou is being constructed for launch no earlier than January 2027, when it is expected to lift off aboard CAS Spaces triple-core Lijian-2 (Kinetica-2) rocket . This craft will carry up to 1,800 kg of supplies to Tiangong and, some weeks later, is likely to carry a larger downmass of up to 2,900 kg away from the station for disposal. Qingzhou is not designed to be recovered, so it will burn up as it re-enters Earths atmosphere.

Chengdus reusable Haolong design, however, is designed to withstand atmospheric reentry and will land on a runway. The uncrewed craft could fly repeated missions to the station, carrying around 2,000 kg in upmass and downmass. No official expected lifespan has been provided, though Chengdu engineer Tang Wangyuan referred to ten flights as an example of how the
design will spread development and manufacturing costs across multiple missions.

With no recent updates from the company with regard to progress on the vehicle, it remains unclear when an initial flight might take place. However, earlier this month, the company issued a tender for an orbital launch, which is expected to be for this vehicle. Render of the HaoLong Space Cargo Shuttle (Credit: AVIC)

The contract is capped at no more than 100 million Yuan (approximately $14.9m), which is below typical expected launch costs but might be considered a loss-leader by potential bidders, in order to position themselves to secure future contracts. Landspace was previously indicated as Haolongs carrier with its ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) rocket, and its late December 2025 prospectus cites the ZhuQue family as Haolongs preferred launch vehicle.

The spaceplanes wings can be folded to a span of less than five meters for launch, and extended to a full wingspan of eight meters once in orbit. With a 5.2 m diameter fairing and configurations that could accommodate the ten-meter-long vehicle, the Shuang Quxian3 (Hyperbola-3) and the Chang Zheng 12B and 10B could also be potential candidates to carry Haolong into orbit.

Chinas first reflown booster

The Chang Zheng 12A (CZ-12A) made its maiden flight from the Jiuquan
Satellite Launch Center at the end of 2025, reaching orbit successfully, but an attempt to land the first stage failed. One of three engines did not restart for the final landing burn, resulting in the stage crashing into the ground about five kilometers from its target.

A second CZ-12A is expected to launch no earlier than November 3. If successful, the mission could achieve Chinas third successful booster
recovery on an orbital launch mission, each of which will have been achieved by a different type of rocket. To date, only Landspaces ZhuQue-3 has landed a first stage back on land, while the first stage of a Chang Zheng 10B (CZ-10B) was recovered at sea. Chang Zheng 12A launches from Jiuquan on its maiden flight, Dec. 23, 2025 (Credit: CNSA)

The CZ-10B booster, which was successfully recovered on July 10 using a novel net catch system aboard the Linghangzhe recovery vessel, is expected to
become Chinas first orbital-class booster to be reused as it is being readied for an upcoming mission. While that booster was undergoing refurbishment in Tianjin, the launchers transporter erector recently made its way to the recently completed Commercial Launch Site 3 at the commercial spaceport in Hainan , adjacent to the Wenchang Space Launch Site. The hardware conducted a series of tests, which also included the pads water deluge system.

The new commercial pads 3 and 4 have been completing final checkouts this month, one of which is anticipated to conduct its inaugural launch before the end of the year with a CZ-10B. While not officially confirmed, that same
debut launch is expected to utilize the previously flown first stage, marking another significant milestone for China, in addition to a memorable debut for the pad.

Satellite network rollout

CZ-10B is expected to begin supporting missions of the China Satellite
Network Groups Guowang constellation (also known as SatNet LEO), carrying 18 satellites at a time. China Rocket revealed that a second-generation flat-packed version will have a lower mass of around 560 kg, compared to the first generations estimated 700 to 1,000 kg. So far, these have been lofted
by vehicles including the Chang Zheng 5B, 6A, 8A, and 12 in small batches. Chang Zheng 12 launches with SatNet LEO Group 24 on Aug. 16, 2026 (Credit: CCTV)

The Chang Zheng 12 , which has been launching at a monthly cadence since
June, lifted off with the most recent batch of these satellites at 19:27 UTC on Oct. 9, bringing the constellation to 222 satellites. The China Satellite Network Group is currently trialling its service ahead of rolling it out to consumers in China, and has ambitions to extend to offering its internet service globally.

Guowang also demonstrated connectivity in polar regions during Chinas 16th Arctic expedition in September, connecting three research vessels with the Qinling station in Antarctica for a video call. This and other low-latency data transfer tests illustrated the state-backed constellations potential in maritime communications and emergency response, in addition to supporting polar research.

Chinas other major broadband constellation, Qianfan , has also been
undergoing service trials. Its operator, Shanghai Spacesail, has been conducting maritime communications as well as tests in urban and remote areas since June. The operator plans to roll out its service in China by the end of the year. Ground stations in Brazil and Malaysia have also been established
to support its international ambitions. BeiDou satellite (left) and
Operations Center (Right) (Credit: CCTV)

Both of these constellations are expected to reach at least 13,000 satellites in size the same number of satellites already launched by SpaceX for its Starlink constellation with the potential to grow to as many as 42,000. Michael Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering, used Octobers 77th International Astronautical Congress in Trkiye to highlight the need for operators of large satellite constellations to share more information about their assets in orbit. See Also Chinese Spaceflight Forum NSF Store Click
here to Join L2

These specifically include a number of Chinese operators, which he encouraged to share more ephemeris information that would help other operators better plan collision avoidance. SpaceX publicly unveiled its Stargaze space surveillance system in January, which exposes collision-screening data gathered by star-tracking cameras aboard its Starlink satellites, free to participating spacecraft operators.

Another of Chinas satellite constellations is the BeiDou navigation and positioning network , one of Chinas landmark aerospace projects and the nations counterpart to the US Global Positioning System (GPS). BeiDou has
been developed and matured over the last 30 years and is now deeply
integrated into public life with 50 operational satellites in the constellation. Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Chinas space program, the BeiDou-3 constellation recently underwent a 140-day in-orbit upgrade. The upgrade was said to be unprecedented in scale and complexity and was
completed without disrupting service to users.

BeiDous standard service specifies positioning accuracy better than 10
meters, while an enhanced service for suitably-equipped users in China and surrounding areas can narrow that to around 30 centimeters horizontally and
60 centimeters vertically. i-Space conducts droneship testing using a full-scale Shuang Quxian3 (Credit: i-Space)

Sea-based infrastructure increases

Beijing-based commercial launch provider i-Space has made good progress on
the ground support systems for its Shuang Quxian3 rocket and is expected to conduct a static fire of its first stage before the year is out. Sharing a video of its progress this month, i-Space announced that it intends to
attempt a droneship landing on the vehicles maiden flight in early 2027.

The company conducted navigation trials and a full recovery rehearsal off Yangjiang in Guangdong Province earlier this year, with a full-scale mockup
of the booster. The sea trials follow a campaign of landing leg deployment, impact, and booster drop-testing, which began in 2025.

Another company aiming to debut a new rocket next year is Cosmoleap , with
its Yueqian-1 rocket, also known as the Leap-1. Ahead of this, this month Cosmoleap has been further testing its Starship-style chopstick-recovery
catch tower. The company is expected to static fire the vehicles second stage in the coming months, and the first stage in the first half of next year. Yueqian-1 is considerably smaller than Starship: the most recent publicly available specifications put its height at around 70 m, comparable to a
Falcon 9, although it is slightly wider with a diameter of about 4 m. Jielong-3 conducts a sea launch on Aug. 5, 2026 (Credit: CASC)

Cosmoleap completed joint testing of the YF-209 engine with the Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology in March. Nine of these will power Yueqians first stage, with each generating 80 tons of thrust from burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen. Designed for reusability, these engines can be restarted multiple times with up to 30 reuse cycles supported. The company has since moved on to testing the engine for its second stage.

Commercial launch provider CAS Space is preparing a second launch of its three-core Lijian-2 rocket, potentially before the end of October. The
vehicle left the companys manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou in late
August for the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, from where it is expected to carry 18 Qianfan satellites into orbit.

Chinese launch cadence continues to grow, with orbital launches up by nearly 14% on this time last year, and up 48% on the same point in 2024. This number includes eight successful launches from sea-based facilities, using the Jielong-3, Yinli-1 (Gravity-1), and Gushenxing-1S (Ceres-1S) rockets. OrienSpaces YinLi-1 ascends from the Yellow Sea on July 22, 2026 (Credit: OrienSpace)

The most recent flight of Galactic Energys Gushenxing-1S took place on Oct.
21 from the waters off the coast of Rizhao in Shandong Province. The launch took place within sight of the city, lofting the multi-spectral Xiguang-4 01 Earth observation satellite. This mission marked the first use of a new local command center, whereas previous missions had been overseen by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, farther northwest inland in Shanxi Province.

The Gushenxing vehicle has launched from both land and sea, and Galactic Energy leads Chinas commercial operators on launch count, with 23 out of 26 successful launches to date. This rate has slowed in 2026 following a failure last November and a return to flight in January, while the company has also shifted focus to ensuring the successful launch of its first Zhishenxing-1 (Pallas-1) rocket, which took place in September.

Galactic Energys closest competitor, CAS Space, has conducted 17 missions to date: all but one of these used the Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) rocket , which has suffered only one failure since its introduction in 2022. The company is now preparing for the first seaborne launch of a Lijian-1. The vehicle has recently been undergoing evaluations since August aboard the ship Dongfang Hangtiangang , offshore from the Haiyang Oriental Spaceport. Once the payload has been integrated, the vessel is expected to sail south, with the launch
due to take place offshore from Guangdong in the South China Sea.

(Lead image: Chang Zheng 10B Y1 vehicle lifts off from the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site on July 10, 2026 Credit: CASC)



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