World’s Largest Solid Fuel Rocket Launched by Chinese Private Space Company

China’s ambitious space race is gradually yielding results as private space companies achieve consecutive successful rocket launches, heightening expectations for the birth of space companies surpassing SpaceX in the United States.

According to Chinese media, including Xinhua, on the 12th, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shandong Province near Haiyang City successfully launched the Gravity 1 rocket the previous day, placing three Winya 1 satellites into the planned orbit.

The Gravity 1, independently developed by China’s private space company OrienSpace, is equipped with a 600-ton thrust engine, making it the world’s largest solid-fuel rocket. Xinhua noted that its thrust is 141 tons stronger than that of the current world leader, the VegaC of the European Space Agency (ESA).

With a payload capacity of 6.5 tons, it can launch up to 30 satellites weighing 100kg each. In case of exceptional requests from the People’s Liberation Army, it can be launched within 24 hours.

Over the past three years, OrienSpace has invested over 100 scientists in developing Gravity 1, achieving success in its first launch. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) praised it as a significant breakthrough in the independent innovation of China’s commercial transport rockets.

Earlier on the 5th, China’s first commercial rocket company, Expace, successfully launched the Kuaizhou 1A rocket, developed by Expace, placing four satellites into orbit.

China plans to launch up to 13,000 satellites into solar orbit by 2024, competing with SpaceX’s Starlink. This has led to a rapid influx of private capital into commercial rocket development. As of the end of 2022, 433 registered private space companies are in China. In the first half of last year, China launched rockets 25 times, with six of them through private enterprises.

However, whether these companies can grow as fast as SpaceX is uncertain, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) stated, “Currently, the scale of Chinese private space companies is much smaller than SpaceX,” adding, “It is highly uncertain whether they can develop the technological capabilities and commercial efficiency to compete with the United States.”

The key lies in cost reduction. OrienSpace did not disclose the launch cost this time. OrienSpace plans to develop a reusable liquid fuel rocket within two years, increasing the payload capacity to 15-20 tons to enhance cost efficiency.