Hangzhou is buzzing 🌊🚀 – earlier this week on January 7, construction began on the Chinese mainland's first 'super plant' for sea-recovery reusable rockets. Led by Space Epoch, the 5.2 billion yuan ($740 million) facility aims to churn out up to 25 medium-to-large liquid-fueled rockets a year, combining high payloads, low costs, and ocean landings for reuse.
'A reusable rocket is like a taxi, satellites are the passengers, and a constellation of satellites is a busload of tourists,' says Wei Yi, founder and chairman of Space Epoch. His 'stainless steel + liquid oxygen and methane' design could slash launch costs from around 80,000-100,000 yuan per kilogram to about 20,000 yuan per kilogram 💸.
Why it matters: this plant marks a leap for commercial space in the Chinese mainland. After Space Epoch's Yuanxingzhe-1 completed its first sea recovery flight in May, other private players—LandSpace with Zhuque-3, Space Pioneer, and Galactic Energy—as well as the state-backed Long March 12A have been testing vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL), near-orbit recovery, and advanced propulsion since late 2025.
According to 21st Century Business Herald, even if not every test hit the mark, the industry is moving from one-off demos to systematic, engineering-driven progress 📈. Globally, SpaceX's Starbase in Texas remains the benchmark, showing what routine, large-scale rocket manufacturing can look like.
With this plant taking shape, routine space launches could be closer than ever. Imagine ordering a rocket ride like calling a cab – satellites, research payloads, and maybe even space tourism could get a big boost from Hangzhou's new launchpad of tomorrow 🌟.
Reference(s):
China breaks ground on its first sea-recovery reusable rockets plant
cgtn.com
