China's space station to welcome more commercial spaceflights in 2025

As China's aerospace industry achieved a record-breaking 68 rocket launches in the past year, the country has promised even greater excitement in 2025, including the debuts of a series of commercial spacecrafts, such as the Haoloong space cargo shuttle, Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, launched aboard their respective carriers, the Zhuque-3 and Lijian-2 rockets, the Global Times learned from developers on Tuesday.

This year, China's Tiangong space station is expected to welcome two more crews of Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21, along with the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft. The two crewed missions may be undertaken by China's fourth batch of taikonauts, which includes payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, China Central Television reported on Monday. 

The rocket and spacecraft for the Shenzhou-20 mission are already on standby at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center when the Shenzhou-19 crew are still in orbit. Such arrangements are made to provide an additional layer of safety for taikonauts in space, explained Yang Yuguang, vice chair of the Space Transportation Committee of the International Astronautical Federation.

It is particularly noteworthy that the Chinese space station's "circle of friends" has expanded significantly this year. The privately developed commercial rocket Zhuque-3, which will deliver the Haoloong space cargo shuttle to the station, will make its maiden flight, as well as the commercial Lijian-2 vehicle, which plans to send the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, to the space station, the CCTV report said.

The Zhuque-3, a next-generation reusable rocket, is China's first stainless steel reusable liquid launch vehicle. The rocket, with a 4.5-meter diameter, features a first stage designed for at least 20 reuses, supporting a payload capacity of 21.3 tons for single-use missions and 18.3 tons for reusable missions. The rocket is tailored for high-density launches to support China's satellite internet, combining high payload capacity with first-stage reusability, developer of the rocket Landspace told the Global Times.

This year, the Zhuque-3 aims to complete three launch missions, including the GW constellation deployment, mission for the space station's commercial cargo spacecraft, and first-stage recovery tests. Pre-launch preparations are progressing smoothly, according to Landspace. 

He Bin, PR director at Landspace, added that over the next two years, the Zhuque-2 and -3 will shift from development to operational status. In 2025, the Zhuque-2 is slated for six launches, sending 24 tons to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit, while the Zhuque-3, set for its maiden flight in Q3 this year, plans three missions with a combined payload capacity of 60 tons. The Zhuque-3 is currently undergoing power system testing, he said.

Another addition to China's space station supply fleet is the Qingzhou-1 cargo spacecraft, set to launch aboard the Lijian-2 rocket. The pair is slated for launch in September 2025.

The Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), features an integrated single-capsule configuration with a cargo volume of 27 cubic meters and a cargo capacity of up to 2 tons, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Lijian-2 will conduct its maiden flight in September, carrying the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times.

The launch mission that Lijian-2 rocket is set to execute will be the first time a Chinese commercial aerospace company has participated in the launch of low-cost cargo transportation projects for the Chinese space station, the CCTV report said. 

The addition of Haoloong and Qingzhou to China's cargo fleet is necessary because, as Yang explained, while launching three Tianzhou spacecraft every two years meets the overall operational needs of the space station. However, the eight-month gap between launches presents logistical challenges for time-sensitive cargo, such as supplies for biological and medical experiments that require rapid delivery to the space station, Haoloong and Qingzhou serve as valuable complements to the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft.

China's commercial aerospace sector saw rapid development in 2024, with a surge in private space companies entering the industry. The flexibility of commercial aerospace, its cost control, and its pursuit of innovation are, Yang believes, inherent advantages that will effectively strengthen China's overall space capabilities.