(ECNS) -- Fans of Long March-7, China's new-generation carrier rocket, can buy scale models online, though it remains unclear if they are from authorized manufacturers, Beijing Evening News reported on Tuesday.
The boom follows China's successful launch of its Long March 7 from its new coastal spaceport, Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in South China's Hainan Province on June 25.
A search on China's largest e-marketplace Taobao.com for Long March 7 models found results on three webpages.
These models are made of materials ranging from paper to zinc alloy and composite fiber in scales from 1-to-10 down to 1-to-65, with heights from 50 centimeters to 5 meters. Prices range from 500 yuan ($75) to 30,000 yuan.
A Taobao store owner said a customer provided him data a year ago on making models, which were first used for display and now for online sale.
Another store claimed to have sold out its most popular model, made in Guangdong Province, and now only takes orders for future delivery.
The legal affairs department at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology said some companies are authorized to make spacecraft models, but it's unclear if those sold online are authentic.
Long March-7 is expected to become the main rocket used to transport cargo to China's planned space station. Using kerosene and liquid oxygen as fuel rather than highly toxic propellant, it produces less pollution.