Chinese firm plans flight test of reusable spacecraft next year
Chinese commercial space firm CAS Space plans to launch its reusable Lihong 2 spacecraft in early 2027. The vehicle is designed to carry payloads or passengers to the edge of space and features vertical landing capabilities to facilitate reusability.
Why it matters
The development represents China's growing commercial space sector and its efforts to compete in the reusable launch vehicle market, similar to private Western firms.
A major Chinese commercial space venture plans to conduct the debut flight of its first reusable spacecraft model in early 2027, according to a senior project leader.
CAS Space, which is incubated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is independently developing the Lihong 2, which measures about 18 meters in length, has a diameter of 3.35 meters, consists of a booster rocket and a payload module, and has a liftoff weight of roughly 60 metric tons.
Wang Yingcheng, a senior spacecraft researcher and executive vice-president of CAS Space Frontier Labs in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that the design work of the reusable spacecraft has been completed and ground tests of the prototype are progressing smoothly.
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