China's Space Program Thread II

[madhusudan.tim]

Landspace and other private launch providers appear to be constrained until the return of the taikonauts via a government-managed backup mission. China’s emerging space economy still feels heavily regulated, with remnants of a command-and-control model that slows private initiative.
If Landspace had been allowed to proceed with a full launch and booster recovery before New Glenn, it could have secured a major public relations win, improved its market valuation ahead of listing, and strengthened industry morale. Instead, excessive bureaucratic caution risks undermining competitiveness at a critical moment.

China already has the ingredients for a strong commercial space sector—advanced metal 3D printing for rocket engines, mature materials and composites technology, and a skilled engineering workforce. What holds it back is overregulation and an excessive fixation on safety at a time when geopolitical realities demand urgency.

While gradual progress ensures reliability, it comes at the cost of opportunity. As rivals rapidly deploy constellations and fill low Earth orbit with satellites—including reconnaissance and dual-use systems—China’s delayed response could leave its private launch sector trailing global competitors by 5–10 years. SatNet’s incomplete rollout compounds this vulnerability.

In this context, the insistence on extreme caution may protect short-term safety metrics but jeopardizes long-term strategic positioning in space.

 

[Racek49]

Landspace and other private launch providers appear to be constrained until the return of the taikonauts via a government-managed backup mission. China’s emerging space economy still feels heavily regulated, with remnants of a command-and-control model that slows private initiative.
If Landspace had been allowed to proceed with a full launch and booster recovery before New Glenn, it could have secured a major public relations win, improved its market valuation ahead of listing, and strengthened industry morale. Instead, excessive bureaucratic caution risks undermining competitiveness at a critical moment.

China already has the ingredients for a strong commercial space sector—advanced metal 3D printing for rocket engines, mature materials and composites technology, and a skilled engineering workforce. What holds it back is overregulation and an excessive fixation on safety at a time when geopolitical realities demand urgency.

While gradual progress ensures reliability, it comes at the cost of opportunity. As rivals rapidly deploy constellations and fill low Earth orbit with satellites—including reconnaissance and dual-use systems—China’s delayed response could leave its private launch sector trailing global competitors by 5–10 years. SatNet’s incomplete rollout compounds this vulnerability.

In this context, the insistence on extreme caution may protect short-term safety metrics but jeopardizes long-term strategic positioning in space.

Do you really think that potential buyers of the offered rocket capacity are guided by advertising and primacy? That era was here for a while, but it's been gone for at least 20 years. A free competitive market exists perhaps only within the US and perhaps soon also in China. Only within. And only for defined costs. And you've certainly heard about embargoes and administrative bans.
The payload is generally an order of magnitude more valuable than the rocket itself. There, top experts carefully consider which carrier to choose. Reliability and price are the deciding factors here. Although a little bragging doesn't hurt, right But it doesn't pay much. Pride costs nothing.