Beijing's "rocket street" project advances commercial space development

China

Beijing's "rocket street" project advances commercial space development

2026-03-22 22:34 Last Updated At：03-23 13:57

Beijing's "rocket street" project is evolving into a national-level scientific research and production hub, helping to support China's commercial space development.

The project is located in Beijing E-Town, an economic and technological development area in the southeast of the capital city, with a total floor space of 140,000 square meters, roughly the size of 20 football fields. The complex features a common technological platform, a high-end manufacturing center, and an innovation research and development hub as its core facilities.

Previously, it was the more established launch sites and their surrounding "space cities" that featured streets and roads that were totally space themed -- such as Wenchang's Road of Starlight and Jiuquan's Road to Space.

Beijing's "rocket street," which is really a complex dedicated to commercial space development, was only completed earlier this year. At the "rocket street," efforts to advance reusable rocket technology -- featuring cost-effectiveness, repeatability, flexibility, and ultimately global competitiveness -- is receiving major support, and several companies have announced their plans for 2026.

LandSpace has scheduled a recovery test for its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket in the second quarter of this year.

Galactic Energy plans to launch its first reusable liquid-fueled rocket, Pallas 1, in less than three months. It also aims to launch the more powerful, reusable Pallas 2, before the end of the year.

The "Rocket Street" itself also plans to break into new stratospheres in the coming years with reusable rockets.

"We aim to rank among the best in the world. We will promote 'airline-style' launches of large reusable rockets, fully reusable rockets, and fully reusable heavy-lift rockets. We will accelerate the development and mass production of new internet satellites, plan the building of new space infrastructure, and develop full-industrial-chain capabilities to launch 1,000 satellites," said Ma Zhao, Deputy Director of Beijing E-Town's Robotics, Intelligent Manufacturing Industry Bureau.

Galactic Energy is also working on the rocket's final stage -- an on-orbit service platform designed to perform multiple tasks, including cleaning up space by extending its "hands" and removing space debris.

The company believes now is the right moment to carry out these missions, relying on its own technical capabilities and supportive policies.

"In recent years, we have deeply felt the concerted support from policy, capital, and talent. Areas such as Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area have provided targeted support for core technology breakthroughs. Patient capital at both national and local levels has accelerated its convergence," said Wu Yue, Director of Public Relations at Galactic Energy.

China has included the commercial space sector among 109 major projects in the coming years, expecting the industry to become a key driver of new quality productive forces.

"Development opportunities for the commercial space industry are unprecedented, and there is no time to waste. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Beijing E-Town will support the commercial space industry cluster with 1,000 enterprises working together, 1,000 satellites in orbit, and over 100 billion yuan in revenue," said Ma.

Opened to private investment in 2015, the sector now comprises over 600 commercial space companies, with annual financing reaching more than 18 billion yuan (about 2.62 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which outlines national economic and social development goals for the next five years, sets a goal of building the country into a "space power" by 2030, as well as identifies the aerospace industry as "an emerging pillar." Against this backdrop, commercial space launches are taking on growing importance.

Large-scale hantavirus outbreaks unlikely: expert

A Spanish infectious diseases expert on Friday downplayed the risks of large-scale spreading of the deadly hantavirus, citing the current situation and precautionary measures already taken to prevent further outbreaks.

The Dutch-operated, hantavirus-hit expedition cruise ship MV Hondius is currently heading toward Spain's Canary Islands, following a rare outbreak that has resulted in three deaths. At least five cases of hantavirus have been confirmed out of eight suspected cases.

The strain is identified as the Andes virus, which is notable because it is known to spread between humans.

Vicente Soriano, the expert, said the virus can spread relatively easily in confined environments such as cruise ships. However, he added that the Spanish government's decision to bring the vessel to the Canary Islands and impose strict quarantine measures upon arrival is currently the best way to control its spread.

Health authorities in the Canary Islands have been placed on standby and have designated specific medical reception areas.

"It is difficult to predict what will happen after they arrive in the Canary Islands, or how many people are infected. But what we do know is that this is not expected to trigger an emergency outbreak. Among the few cases, there may be some asymptomatic individuals, and what will need to be done then is to place them in isolation," said Soriano.

Soriano believes it is unlikely that the outbreak will escalate to a state of emergency, as hantavirus is not entirely unknown and infection typically requires close contact with patients showing severe symptoms. Once cases are identified, they should be promptly isolated to effectively prevent the virus from spreading.

"The confirmed patients have already been evacuated and sent back to their home countries. Asymptomatic individuals will be taken to medical centers or hotels for nasal swab and blood tests. If they remain in good health after one week, with no fever and normal test results, they will be sent back to their places of residence in Spain or their countries of origin. I believe these measures are the right approach to prevent further spread of the outbreak and to bring it under control," he said.

Hantavirus is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents such as rats and mice. Infection can occur through inhaling contaminated dust, touching contaminated surfaces, or exposure to rodent droppings. In rare cases, certain strains, such as the Andes virus, can spread between humans through close contact.