China's space station to welcome more commercial spaceflights in 2025 including cargo crafts and launch vehicles

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By Fan Anqi (Global Times) 11:24, February 12, 2025

The Zhuque-3, a next-generation reusable rocket, is China's first stainless steel reusable liquid launch vehicle. The rocket, with a 4.5-meter diameter, features a first stage designed for at least 20 reuses, supporting a payload capacity of 21.3 tons for single-use missions and 18.3 tons for reusable missions. The rocket is tailored for high-density launches to support China's satellite internet, combining high payload capacity with first-stage reusability, the developer of the rocket Landspace told the Global Times.

This year, the Zhuque-3 aims to complete three launch missions, including the GW constellation deployment, the mission for the space station's commercial cargo spacecraft, and first-stage recovery tests. Pre-launch preparations are progressing smoothly, according to Landspace.

He Bin, PR director at Landspace, added that over the next two years, the Zhuque-2 and -3 will shift from development to operational status. In 2025, the Zhuque-2 is slated for six launches, sending 24 tons to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit, while the Zhuque-3, set for its maiden flight in Q3 this year, plans three missions with a combined payload capacity of 60 tons. The Zhuque-3 is currently undergoing power system testing, he said.

Another addition to China's space station supply fleet is the Qingzhou-1 cargo spacecraft, set to launch aboard the Lijian-2 rocket. The pair is slated for launch in September 2025.

The Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), features an integrated single-capsule configuration with a cargo volume of 27 cubic meters and a cargo capacity of up to 2 tons, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Lijian-2 will conduct its maiden flight in September, carrying the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times.

The launch mission that the Lijian-2 rocket is set to execute will be the first time a Chinese commercial aerospace company has participated in the launch of low-cost cargo transportation projects for the Chinese space station, the CCTV report said.