2025 is a critical year for China’s commercial aerospace industry to move towards the large-scale application of recyclable rockets. A number of recyclable rockets are sprinting towards their first flights.
Today let’s talk about: China’s top 10 commercial aerospace recyclable rockets under development.
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Recyclable rockets under development
According to statistics from “Nihao Space”, China currently has 14 commercial recyclable rockets under development and has made public progress. The specific research and development units, low-Earth orbit capacity, and estimated first flight time are as follows: Based on the estimated first flight time, we divided the 14 recyclable rockets under development into two categories: First flight in 2025: Gravity 2, Suzaku 3, Tianlong 3, Hyperbola 3, Long March 12A, Lijian 2, Pallas 1, Yuanxingzhe 1, Nebula 1, a total of 9 rockets. First flight after 2025: Long March 9, Long March 10A, Nebula 2, AS-1, and Jump 1, a total of 5 rockets. Among them, the AS-1 second-level stainless steel thin-walled common-bottom tank has officially rolled off the production line in March 2025; the joint hot test run of the Yue Zhan 1 YF-209 vacuum version engine and control system has been successfully completed in March 2025.
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Top 10 recyclable rockets under development in commercial aerospace
“Hello Space” has selected the top 10 recyclable rockets under development in China’s commercial aerospace industry based on capacity, research and development progress, and technical reliability. The following is the detailed information and development status of the top 10 recyclable rockets under development: 1. Pallas-1 (Galaxy Power) LEO capacity: 8 tons; Recovery method: Landing leg recovery; Engine: 7 CQ-50 liquid oxygen kerosene engines are used in the first stage, and 1 CQ-50 vacuum version engine is used in the second stage. Pallas 1 is developed by Galaxy Power and plans to make its first flight at the end of August 2025; the latest public progress is that the CQ-50 (“Sky” engine) successfully completed a series of ground hot tests for reliability accumulation in December 2024, and Pallas 1 has entered the sprint stage for its first flight. 2. Lijian 2 (Zhongke Aerospace) LEO capacity: 12 tons; Recovery method: Landing leg recovery; Engine: The first stage uses 3 universal core-stage boosters, each equipped with 3 YF-102 liquid oxygen kerosene engines, and the second stage uses 1 YF-102 vacuum version engine YF-102V. Lijian 2 was developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and plans to make its first flight in September 2025 without recovery. The first recovery is expected to be achieved in 2028. In the latest public progress, China Science and Technology Aerospace stated in January 2025 that Lijian 2 will soon carry out first- and second-level power system test runs and complete the flight transition work. 3. Long March 12A (Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology) LEO capacity: 12 tons (refer to Long March 12); Recovery method: landing leg recovery; Engine: 7 to 9 Longyun liquid oxygen methane engines are used in the first stage. The Long March 12A is a recyclable configuration of the Long March 12. It was developed by the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology and is expected to make its first flight in 2025. The latest public progress is that the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology completed the country’s first 10-kilometer vertical takeoff and landing flight test on June 23, 2024. 4. Hyperbola III (Interstellar Glory) LEO capacity: 14 tons; Recovery method: landing leg recovery; Engine: 9 JD-2 liquid oxygen methane engines are used in the first stage, and 1 JD-2 vacuum version engine is used in the second stage. Hyperbola 3 is developed by Interstellar Glory, with plans for first flight and recovery in 2025, and reuse in 2026. The latest public progress is that JD-2 (Focus No. 2 engine) successfully completed three critical state assessment tests in December 2024 and officially entered the mass production delivery stage. 5. Long March 10A (First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology) LEO capacity: 14 tons (first-level reuse); Recycling method: Offshore network recovery; Engine: 7 YF-100K liquid oxygen kerosene engines are used in the first level, and 1 YF-100K vacuum version engine YF-100M is used in the second level. The Long March 10A was developed by the First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology and is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2026. The latest public progress is that the Long March 10 series rockets successfully completed the first-stage rocket power system test in June 2024 and successfully completed the fairing separation test in November of the same year. 6. Tianlong 3 (Tianbing Technology) LEO capacity: 17 tons; Recovery method: landing leg recovery; Engine: 9 TH-12 liquid oxygen kerosene engines are used in the first stage, and 1 TH-12 vacuum version engine is used in the second stage. Tianlong 3 was developed by Tianbing Technology and is expected to make its first flight in 2025; the latest public progress is that Tianlong 3 carried out a hot test run of the first-level nine-machine parallel power system on June 30, 2024 and an accident occurred. 7. Suzaku 3 (Blue Arrow Aerospace) LEO capacity: 21.3 tons; Recovery method: landing leg recovery; Engine: 9 TQ-12B liquid oxygen methane engines are used in the first stage, and 1 TQ-15B vacuum engine is used in the second stage. Zhuque 3 is developed by Blue Arrow Aerospace and is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2025; The latest public progress is that on September 11, 2024, the Zhuque-3 VTVL-1 test arrow successfully completed the ten-kilometer-level vertical take-off and landing flight test, and the grid rudder system functional test was completed in November of the same year. 8. Gravity 2 (Eastern Space) LEO capacity: 21.5 tons; Recovery method: landing leg recovery; Engine: 9 Force-110 liquid oxygen kerosene engines are used in the first stage, and 1 Force-110 vacuum version engine is used in the second stage. Gravity 2 is developed by Oriental Space and plans to make its first flight in 2025; the latest public progress is that the Force-110 engine gas generator independently developed by Oriental Space will complete its first test run in December 2024. 9. Nebula 2 (Deep Blue Aerospace) LEO capacity: 25 tons; Recovery method: landing leg recovery; Engine: 11 Thunder-RS engines are used in the first stage, and 1 Thunder-RS vacuum version engine Thunder-RSV is used in the second stage. Nebula 2 is developed by Deep Blue Aerospace and plans to make its first flight in 2026; the latest public progress is that the Thunder-RS engine successfully completed its first semi-system test run on December 27, 2024. 10. Long March 9 (First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology) LEO capacity: 150 tons (one-level reuse), 80 tons (two-level reuse); Recycling method: The 2024 Zhuhai Air Show exhibition plan is first-level tower recovery and second-level platform recovery; Engine: The first level uses 30 YF-215 liquid oxygen methane engines. Long March 9 was developed by the First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology. The first flight of the one-stage reusable configuration is planned in 2030, and the first flight of the two-stage reusable configuration is planned in 2033-2035. The latest public progress is that the YF-215 has completed technical verification in 2024 and conducted a thousand-second test run. On March 25, 2025, Academician Li Dong mentioned at the 2025 Commercial Aerospace Conference that the Long March 9 is in the program deepening demonstration stage.
