Since the Chinese government approved private companies to enter the aerospace sector in 2014, more and more start-ups have sprung up. There are about 100 now, and there are only 30 in 2018.
Editor’s note: This article is from “Tencent Technology“, review: Cheng Hey.
The US SpaceX company founded by Musk has become the benchmark enterprise in the global private space field. SpaceX first implemented the reuse of the launch vehicle, which greatly reduced the satellite launch cost, and even prepared to transport humans to settle on Mars. According to the latest news from foreign media, SpaceX’s great success has triggered a boom in private space entrepreneurship in China. More than 100 private space companies have emerged, and they have launched rockets and services that are different from state-owned space companies.
According to foreign media reports, in early August, a private rocket carried out its third test in China, flew to a height of about 300 meters, stayed there for one minute, and then returned to the ground intact. This reusable rocket is not owned by SpaceX or Bezos’ blue origin company. It was developed by a Chinese startup called “Qi Ke Aerospace”.
Since the Chinese government approved private companies to enter the aerospace industry in 2014, more and more start-ups have sprung up. There are about 100 now, and there are only 30 in 2018.
The hacker space is a pioneer in this trend. Hu Zhenyu, CEO of Hacker Aerospace, began testing rockets at the age of 20. In 2014, when he founded the company, he was only 21 years old. This is the first such private space company.
He believes that part of the reason why the industry is growing so fast is the participation of young people. “Not only that, but Chinese investment institutions are also optimistic about the development of private space companies,” he said. To a certain extent, this is due to the success of American counterparts, such as SpaceX, who have proven that private space projects are viable.
Compared with Elon Musk’s current achievements, the successful implementation of the reusable rocket test by Hacker Aerospace may sound like a small achievement, but China is catching up quickly.
The reusable rockets were developed as a completely independent new industry. There was no US government involvement from the beginning, and almost no Russian government participated.
In July of this year, the Chinese government issued new guidelines to give these companies a sense of direction. Regulatory authorities have developed standards for companies that manufacture small rockets (or reusable rockets) to within 200 kilometers of research, manufacturing, testing, safety and technology. These restrictions and guidelines outline the types of companies they govern and refer to those who make small or medium-sized rockets.Secretary.
It is unclear whether these regulations directly attempt to prohibit anyone from developing larger rockets. At least for now, all Chinese space start-ups are developing ideas that complement the things that state-owned institutions are doing, rather than competing with them.
One of the key players in China’s space start-ups is Blue Arrow Aerospace, which is based in Beijing and is born out of Tsinghua University.
On October 27, 2018, Blue Arrow Space launched the solid fuel orbiting rocket “Suzaku No. 1” for the first time, but its payload failed to enter orbit.
Another private space company is StarCraft Glory, which is also developing medium-sized rockets. Zhuhai Orbital Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Yinhe Space Internet Technology Co., Ltd. are also developing light rockets. They put small payloads into orbit, sometimes only 1.5 kilograms, to take photos of the Earth and collect data.
Lincoln Hines, who studies China’s space capabilities and its foreign policy at Cornell University, said: “Chinese private space companies are entering more cost-effective projects, such as micro and nanosatellites. State-owned aerospace often Pay more attention to these larger, more expensive, and perhaps less efficient models.”
It is reported that many start-ups employ people who have worked for state-owned space companies.
Han Si said that just like in the US, some start-ups are more willing to participate or rely on the government than other companies. Some people are also working with provincial government, not the central government.
Han Si said: “For some of them, provincial governments are happy to invest in their area, and they almost give them a hand to do what they want.”
But Hines said that China’s private space industry is opaque, but he said that one of the more independent startups is the Tianyi Research Institute, which is dedicated to the development of miniature satellites designed for low-Earth orbit. It has received a lot of investment from private investors.
The founder of Tianyi Research Institute Yang Feng founded the company in 2016 when he was 34 years old. Since then, the company has completed four launch missions, the latest being four satellites into orbit.
Yang Feng’s goal is to build a microsatellite network that provides services that large satellites cannot provide, while providing services in a more efficient manner than state-owned space agencies. His goal is to operate in low-altitude orbits that are not covered by large rockets made by state-owned space agencies.
Kan Si said, countryThe link between a business and a private company is always vague, and there is no clear distinction between state-owned and private companies. Some of these companies may contract with the government or outsource the manufacture of their parts to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which has been a state-owned space agency since its inception in 1999.
CASC manufactures most of the rocket components of StarCraft, but StarCraft is still a private company.
One thing is clear. China’s space start-ups will not serve the International Space Station in the short term. In addition, China has restrictions on export rocket technology.
At least for now, hacker space is still targeting the home market. “The first step in the hacker space is to use recyclable rockets for sub-orbital launch services,” Hu Zhenyu said. “Most of this service is used for scientific research, not satellite launches, so market demand will come mainly from China.”
Han Si said that it is difficult to predict how much the Chinese space industry will continue to open in the future. He said: “They seem to be sending a strong signal to improve their international competitiveness. So, to some extent, I expect this trend to continue.”