tech
December 16, 2025
Oh look, yet another Starship clone has popped up in China
Chinese companies are no longer hiding their intent to clone SpaceX. They’re advertising it.
TL;DR
- Many Chinese rocket companies initially designed vehicles similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9.
- A notable exception was LandSpace's Zhuque-3, which launched but failed its landing.
- There's a new trend of Chinese companies designing fully reusable rockets inspired by SpaceX's Starship.
- This trend is seen in government projects like the Long March 9 and private companies like Cosmoleap and Astronstone.
- Some companies, like Astronstone, openly state they are aligning their technical approach with SpaceX.
- Beijing Leading Rocket Technology has named its vehicle "Starship-1" and plans to incorporate AI.
- Most Chinese startups are focusing on smaller Starship-like vehicles, which is a more practical approach than building super heavy-lift rockets from the outset.
- Many of these startups may not succeed, similar to the US commercial launch industry's past boom and bust cycle.
- Chinese startups are pitching themselves to investors as the "SpaceX of China" by developing similar rockets.
- It remains uncertain if Chinese companies can successfully develop Starship-like technology, especially since SpaceX is still in its development phase.
- The scalability of Starship's design downwards to smaller vehicles is also an open question.
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