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commercial satellite – China sets up new commercial space agency with clear roadmap for industry development
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In order to regulate and promote the booming commercial space industry, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently formally established the Department of Commercial Spaceflight as a full-time agency to coordinate and manage commercial spaceflight activities nationwide. This initiative marks the entry of China’s commercial space sector into a new development phase of unified supervision and systematic planning by the national level.
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The newly established Department of Commercial Space will be fully responsible for supervising commercial launches, satellite operations and related services, as well as coordinating the formulation of policies and development plans for non-state-owned space activities. The establishment of the agency is closely related to the Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Space (2025-2027), officials said. The plan formally incorporates commercial space operators into the national space development strategy system for the first time and specifies specific targets in terms of industry scale, safety management and space infrastructure utilization by 2027.
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China’s commercial space industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, with more than 600 private companies active in launch services, satellite manufacturing, ground systems, and downstream applications such as communications and remote sensing. The authorities expect the Department of Commercial Space to streamline the approval process, harmonize technical and safety standards, and strengthen supply chain synergies between private companies, research institutes and state-owned space groups.
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The action plan sets out 22 major tasks in five key areas: supporting technological innovation; optimizing the allocation and use of state-owned aerospace resources; increasing the procurement and application of commercial products and services; improving management and public service mechanisms; and strengthening safety and risk control throughout the entire process of research and development, manufacturing, and operations. The plan also calls for more intensive and efficient utilization of launch sites, measurement and control facilities and space data systems to support both national missions and commercial projects.
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Policymakers describe the goal as fostering “qualitatively new productivity” in space technologies such as launch vehicles, satellite platforms, space-based services and other technologies that will be integrated into digital infrastructure and other economic sectors. Commercial space is expected to play a supporting role in areas such as disaster monitoring, communications, navigation, data services and other areas for broader industrial and economic development plans.
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This shift comes at a time when China’s space industry is approaching its 70th anniversary. Over the past decades, China’s space activities have long relied on state agencies and large contractors to carry out missions such as launch vehicles, human spaceflight, and lunar exploration. Today, policy changes and new sources of funding have opened the way for private companies to enter the market, particularly in the areas of small satellite constellations and commercial services, which generate a continuing demand for launch and space infrastructure.
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Currently, five private rocket companies – Star Glory, Star River Power, Sky Soldier Technology, Blue Arrow Space, and Orient Space – have successfully launched payloads into orbit using self-developed launch vehicles, signaling that China’s aerospace is transitioning from an entirely state-driven model to a hybrid public-private model. These and other launch companies are being pushed to increase launch frequency, enhance reliability, reduce costs and develop advanced technologies such as partial or full reusability of rockets.
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Among them is Beijing-based Blue Arrow Space, which is developing the Vermilion Bird III reusable rocket to compete more directly in the reusable vehicle market currently dominated by the U.S.-based SpaceX. Chinese officials view the development of such systems as a key step in building a competitive launch industry that can serve domestic satellite operators and potential overseas customers in the future.
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By 2027, the CNSA aims to build a more synergistic and mature commercial space industry chain with a clear regulatory framework, stronger safety and risk control capabilities, and closer ties between private companies and large state-owned space groups. The ultimate goal is to consolidate China’s position as a space power through the commercial space sector, while expanding the practical applications of space-based services on Earth.