Beijing's Satellite Town to be completed this year as US-China space race heats up

The push comes as NASA’s Artemis II mission completed a successful lunar flyby this month, marking a renewed phase of competition in deep space. The 10-day mission launched April 1, carrying four astronauts on the first crewed test of the Artemis program.

China is now targeting around 140 orbital launches in 2026, up sharply from 92 last year and 68 in 2024, according to Yang Yiqiang, founder of CAS Space. The United States conducted 193 orbital launches in 2025, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 alone completing 165 missions, more than the rest of the world combined.

Beijing’s approach centers on shared infrastructure to help private companies cut costs and ramp up production quickly. At a conference in January, officials unveiled nine production projects, six satellite programs, and six industrial platforms under the “Beijing Rocket Street” initiative.

The 145,000-square-meter site will be China’s first shared commercial aerospace research and production base, offering more than 10 shared services, including vibration, thermal vacuum, and separation testing that companies would otherwise have to build themselves.

Galaxy Space plans to build a factory in the area capable of producing 500 satellites per year, making it China’s largest facility for mass production of low Earth orbit satellites. Rockets developed in the zone launched 24 times last year, accounting for over 90% of China’s commercial rocket missions.

Commercial sector now drives majority of activity

Commercial launches now account for over 60% of all Chinese space missions. Last year, the country sent 311 commercial satellites into orbit, making up 84% of all satellites launched.

Gao Yibin from Future Aerospace said China’s trillion-yuan commercial space market is moving toward standardization and scale. He pointed to faster launch approvals, locally made components, and steady investment from industrial funds as key factors.

“The accelerated implementation of scenarios such as low-Earth orbit constellation networking, satellite internet, space computing power, and 6G air-space-ground integration suggests sustained growth is expected in 2026,” Gao said.

NASA is working to land Americans on the moon by early 2028, before the end of President Donald Trump’s term. China is targeting 2030.

Jared Isaacman, nominated by Trump to lead NASA, put it bluntly: “The difference between success and failure will be measured in months, not years.”

Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar program, said: “By 2030, the Chinese people will definitely be able to set foot on the moon. That’s not a problem.”

Moon’s south pole landing could determine future standards

Both countries are eyeing the moon’s south pole, where permanently shadowed craters may contain water ice. Dean Cheng from the Potomac Institute said whoever establishes a permanent presence first could set the rules.

“Imagine [China] setting up a lunar outpost and rotating a crew every six months,” Cheng said. If the US only goes once a year or less, he argued, China could influence everything from the language of space travel to data formats and technical standards.

Zhang Rusheng from China’s space administration said commercial aerospace has progressed across the full industrial chain, from research and development to satellite launches and applications. Officials want Beijing’s development zone to attract up to 1,000 companies and support more than 1,000 commercial launches.

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