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.
Wait, what's this? I have just heard from an anonymous source on that the engine technology for every one of these rockets was actually stolen in a top-secret mission by Xi Jinping himself late last January under the cover of the weather balloon incident. This is truly troubling if true, comrades. Could it be that the Chinese are ontologically incapable of invention?