As the commercial aerospace industry shifts from a closed state dominated by the state to a market state where private companies have entered one after another, competition in industrial development is increasing. After witnessing the impact of Musk’s Starlink plan on the Russia-Ukraine war, we must be aware of the current gap. Only by facing the gap squarely and forging ahead can we gain the initiative in the increasingly complex international competition.
Comparing China and the United States, in terms of the number of launches, there were a total of 211 successful launches in the world in 2023, of which SpaceX successfully launched 96 times and China launched 66 times. In terms of mass into orbit, the mass of the United States is 1,244.46 tons and that of China is 123.38 tons, a difference of 10 times. In terms of the number of satellites launched, SpaceX successfully launched 2,514 satellites, accounting for 87% of the global total. In terms of manufacturing cost, Starlink costs US$1 million per satellite, while the average cost of my country’s low-orbit communication satellites is about 30 million yuan. Judging from the number of satellites launched in a single launch, Falcon 9 has 143 satellites, and our country’s highest record is 41 satellites in one rocket. In terms of low-Earth orbit transport capacity, Falcon 9 is 22.85 tons and Falcon 9 Heavy is 63.8 tons. China’s Long March 5 rocket, which has the largest low-Earth orbit transport capacity, has a transport capacity of 25 tons. The average transport capacity is only 0.5 tons, less than a quarter of Falcon 9. Looking at the unit launch cost of satellites, the launch cost of SpaceX is US$3,000/kg, and that of my country is US$20,000/kg. If all arrows of future starships are recovered, the launch cost may be only US$200/KG.
Although my country’s aerospace industry has developed rapidly in recent years, we still need to face up to the gap and forge ahead. Come on, China Aerospace!
