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China's space programme

China's space programme
The China National Space Administration was founded more than 25 years ago and is overseeing an ambitious programme which includes deep space exploration, a manned space station, and cutting-edge advancements in technology, new materials, robotics and artificial intelligence.
The Long March 5 rocket is seen at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. Photo: Nora Tam
Space

Moon mission delay a hiccup, but there’s no stopping Chinese rocket city’s rise

Rocket launches transform Wenchang from a farming community to a booming space city, drawing tourists and skilled workers in droves.

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LandSpace

Meet Dai Zheng, the space veteran betting on China’s reusable rocket revolution

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US-China relations

Opinion | China’s view of Trump’s America has changed from alarm to a shrug

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Hong Kong science and tech

Hong Kong-built greenhouse gas tracker device ‘functioning well’ on space station

Tech minister Sun Dong says Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory has ‘successfully captured images with good clarity’.

The Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory, developed by HKUST and funded by the city government, has been deployed to China’s Tiangong space station. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

China clears Geely for landmark satellite test to spur commercial space drive

Geespace secures a two-year satellite IoT trial from MIIT, the first approval for a private Chinese firm.

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SpaceX

Editorial | As the space race heats up, China’s momentum is undeniable

LandSpace’s successful recovery of the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket is a milestone that underlines China’s aerospace ambitions.

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US-China tech war

SpaceSail’s record funding fuels China’s satellite challenge to Musk’s Starlink

Company pairs landmark capital with rapid satellite deployment and overseas expansion as China’s private aerospace sector breaks new ground.

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SpaceSail operates China’s Qianfan constellation. Photo: Handout
Science

China joins Musk’s SpaceX with reusable rocket breakthroughs

LandSpace’s success in landing a rocket, following CASC’s achievement last month, may help launch space missions more cheaply and more frequently.

Science

China becomes first to recover orbital launch rockets with 2 distinct paths

Zhuque-3 reaches orbit and has its first stage recovered, pulling off a dual-track strategy even the US has yet to execute.

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Mainland China

Opinion | Where does China’s fourth rocket failure in 2026 leave its busy space schedule?

Does Beijing have time to fully investigate the year’s fourth rocket failure or will launch schedules force rapid returns to service?

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The Long March-7A rocket exploding less than 90 seconds into its flight on August 10, after launching from the Wenchang Space Launch Site. China has launched the 7A thrice in seven weeks, after a five-month stand-down due to failure investigations. Photo: Handout
Trending in China

Ex-factory worker and engineer to make history as one of China’s first space passengers

When asked why she desires to travel to space at the age of 73, Huang simply stated that she just wants ‘to take a look’.

A self-made engineer who began her career on the factory floor, Huang Xiaochi will become one of China’s first commercial space tourists when she flies on a suborbital mission in 2028. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/QQ.com
China's military weapons

China’s latest rocket failure prompts questions about ambitious launch schedule

Long March-7A explodes less than 90 seconds into flight, delaying ChinaSat-4B satellite installation and possibly affecting other programmes.

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US-China relations

Crawfish soup on Mars? US Senate hears worries over China’s scientific ambitions

Republicans point to Beijing’s rising research spending, while Democrats warn Trump’s funding cuts could erode America’s ability to compete.

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Space

Editorial | With its innovative rocket recovery, China makes strides in the space race

Beijing’s breakthrough is likely to advance its ambitions in the cosmos and enhance global connectivity and economic growth.

The returning first stage of the Long March-10B carrier rocket was successfully captured on a seaborne recovery platform. Photo: Xinhua
Aerospace: Geopolitics

How is China hunting hidden space rocks that could ‘devastate a small country’?

Beijing will use ground telescopes and orbital satellites to track dangerous space rocks that currently go undetected.

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While scientists believe the vast majority of near-Earth asteroids over 1km wide have been detected, most space rocks under 140 metres wide are yet to be spotted, but could cause catastrophic damage if they hit Earth. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

China used a giant net to land a reusable rocket. Does the idea have legs?

It’s an unconventional approach that has sparked debate over how it stacks up against America’s landing-leg system.

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China’s private sector

One giant leap for the state: how China’s aerospace model differs from SpaceX

Friday’s retrieval of a rocket booster made China the second nation to master the precision recovery of an orbital-class rocket component.

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Science

China joins US in reusable orbital rocket capability

The successful capture of the booster stage of a Long March-10B rocket is a first step on the road to narrowing the decade-long head start of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Photo: Xinhua via AP
IPO

The new space race: how China plans to break SpaceX’s dominance with IPO push

As Beijing makes history by capturing the Long March-10B booster at sea, at least 15 aerospace firms are racing to go public on Shanghai’s Star Market or in Hong Kong.

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China shipbuilding

China’s historic sea-based rocket recovery puts spotlight on local shipbuilder

Unlike conventional vessels, the platform must maintain exceptional stability and positioning accuracy in rough seas.

Japan

Nasa knows how to deflect an asteroid. Can Japan’s Hayabusa2 pull it off?

Analysts say the Torifune fly-by highlights Tokyo’s growing role in global space safety efforts and its ‘goodwill science’ policy.

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The Hayabusa2 space probe makes a close fly-by of the asteroid Torifune, in this illustration by Akihiro Ikeshita. Photo: Ikeshita/JAXA/Kyodo
Science

Long March-10B: China’s net-capture rocket joins space race with edge on SpaceX

Soon after launch, the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was recovered via a sea platform, state media says.

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China has succeeded in recovering the reusable rocket used in the maiden launch of the Long March-10B. Photo: Weibo/萌虎鲸
Science

China’s asteroid hunter nears target after 400 days, though size is a surprise

Tianwen-2 spacecraft is equipped with varying sampling modes to perform best in uncertain terrain of 2016 HO3 asteroid.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong-developed ‘Eye for Space’ now operating aboard Tiangong space station

Hong Kong’s first home-grown astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, assembled and tested the Multi-Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory.

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Science

China revives desert moss in space lab as it tests hi-tech tools for missions

Latest in-orbit results from prototype Qingzhou cargo spacecraft show China is testing cameras, refrigeration and bio-support capsule.

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China’s prototype Qingzhou experimental cargo spacecraft and two small satellites were launched on March 30. Photo: CAS Innovation Academy for Microsatellites
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Can Hong Kong make a giant leap to commercial space insurance?

The explosive growth of China’s commercial space business, combined with geopolitical realities, gives the city a captive market.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Hong Kong science and tech

Hongkongers to get chance to talk to city’s first astronaut in next 2 months

‘I hope that within the next month or two, we can arrange a public dialogue with Lai Ka-ying,’ technology minister Sun Dong says.

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US-China tech war

Who pays when rockets explode? China rushes to insure SpaceX’s rivals

Wave of Chinese insurers is underwriting rockets and satellites, turning space risk into a new front in the China-US rivalry.

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