Abhishek G BhayaIn a major leap toward building a low-cost, reusable space launch system, Chinese private aerospace company Space Epoch (officially Beijing Jianyuan Technology) has successfully completed the country’s first sea-based vertical landing of a reusable rocket — marking a significant milestone in China’s commercial space ambitions and its efforts to catch up with the United States in the space race.
The test flight, conducted early Thursday from a floating platform in the Yellow Sea off the coast of eastern Shandong Province, involved the Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1) rocket, or Hiker-1 in English, which is powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox).
According to a report in Global Times, the launch was carried out from the Haiyang Oriental Aerospace Port and lasted 125 seconds, reaching an altitude of 2.5 kilometres before executing a controlled splashdown.
A controlled splashdown means it was deliberately directed to land in water.
Space Epoch’s achievement is being hailed as a "major breakthrough" in reusable launch vehicle development, especially for rockets using liquid methane propulsion and full stainless steel construction.
The rocket's flight included eight distinct phases, such as engine shutdown, passive descent, reignition, and final deceleration — mimicking SpaceX’s now-routine Falcon 9 vertical landing procedures.
“This is a significant step not only for China’s private space sector but also for its broader strategic ambitions,” said Sylwia Monika Gorska, a scholar on East Asian affairs at the University of Central Lancashire with space security as one of her focus areas.
“Space Epoch’s successful recovery test of the Yuanxingzhe-1 — combining liquid methane–oxygen propulsion, stainless steel design, and offshore vertical landing — marks China’s first integration of these advanced reusable technologies,” she told TRT World.
Although the test was suborbital, Gorska emphasised its strategic importance.
“It demonstrates technical maturity in key areas essential for reusable systems. From a space security standpoint, this suggests China’s commercial sector is moving beyond basic payload delivery and beginning to contribute meaningfully to national space resilience and capability.”
Amid SpaceX’s mixed fortune
The milestone for China’s commercial space sector comes at a moment of mixed fortunes for its American counterpart.
On May 28, SpaceX’s ninth Starship demo mission — part of its next-generation launch system — ended in failure when the spacecraft spun out of control and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean after launch from Starbase, Texas.
While CEO Elon Musk described the test as a “big improvement” over previous attempts, the incident highlights the formidable technical challenges that persist even for the most advanced players in the field.
Although SpaceX began landing Falcon 9 boosters nearly a decade ago and still leads the global commercial launch market, Thursday’s test by Space Epoch signals China’s growing ambitions — and capabilities — in the arena of reusable rocket technologies.
“Yes, [China is] getting close to vertical landing — but with clear caveats,” Gorska said.
“Space Epoch has now shown that it can perform vertical takeoff, engine cutoff, controlled descent, and soft landing at a suborbital level — an essential milestone. However, China’s private firms are still far from recovering orbital-class boosters like SpaceX’s Falcon 9.”
Still, she added, “from a space security perspective, even these early steps are strategically significant: they expand China’s launch flexibility, reduce per-mission costs, and build technological capacity that supports both commercial and national space objectives.”
Beijing-based LandSpace became the first to launch a methane-fueled rocket in 2023, as interest grows in the cleaner, safer fuel seen as key to reusable spaceflight.
China’s private space boom
Though the test altitude of 2.5 km was modest, the success represents a proof-of-concept for Space Epoch’s reusable rocket strategy.
The full-scale Hiker-1, made from thin-walled stainless steel, stands 26.8 metres tall with a diameter of 4.2 metres and a liftoff mass of 57 tons. If future flights are successful, the rocket could eventually carry payloads exceeding 10 tonnes into low-Earth orbit — and return for reuse.
According to Space Epoch, the test marks a pivotal step toward achieving full orbital capability. The company has reportedly already signed agreements with satellite operators and Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao, exploring futuristic applications such as rocket-based express deliveries.
The test also reflects China’s broader push to boost private enterprise in space — part of a national strategy to foster innovation and reduce reliance on state-run programmes.
“This places Space Epoch alongside Chinese firms like LandSpace and Galactic Energy, who are advancing reusable technologies that could reshape China’s position in the global space sector,” Gorska observed.
“While this is framed as a commercial achievement, the implications extend further: reusable launch capabilities strengthen China’s technological autonomy, enhance its access to space, and improve its ability to sustain satellite constellations and space-based infrastructure — all of which have both civilian and potential military relevance.”
Earlier this month, another Beijing-based private firm, LandSpace, launched its methane-fueled ZQ-2E rocket into orbit, successfully deploying six commercial satellites.
Separately, Galactic Energy executed a sea-based launch of its CERES-1 rocket, helping to complete the first phase of China’s IoT-focused Tianqi satellite constellation, as reported by Global Times.
Thursday’s successful test flight places Space Epoch among a small but growing club of companies capable of mastering vertical rocket recovery at sea. While more extensive orbital tests will be needed, the flight suggests that China is fast narrowing the gap with global space leaders, driven by both government support and private sector dynamism.
As the country accelerates its commercial space efforts, with increasing collaboration between startups and state agencies, China’s vision of becoming a dominant player in reusable rocket systems no longer seems far-fetched.
“In international terms, these advances gradually reduce China’s technological gap with US space actors and could reshape competitive dynamics over the longer term,” said Gorska.
