China challenges US containment with global action plan for its commercial space industry
Ambitious programme also encourages private firms to pioneer innovation in areas such as reusable rockets and space debris monitoring
China’s space agency has released an action plan to take its commercial space sector worldwide, pledging to help integrate commercial projects into its international cooperation agenda.
The ambitious plan could challenge a number of US laws and government regulations aiming to curb the expansion of China’s space industry on the global stage.
On Tuesday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) posted guidelines for the promotion of commercial space flight and enterprises through to 2027, positioning the industry as a “vital force” for building a strong space nation.
The plan encourages commercial space firms to engage in international cooperation and exchanges, including helping developing countries build satellite applications.
It also encourages commercial firms to pioneer innovation in areas such as reusable rockets, space resource utilisation, space tourism, in-space biomanufacturing and space debris monitoring.
In recent years, China’s commercial space sector has grown rapidly, with advances such as reusable rocket technology even attracting the attention of the US, which has long been the global leader in the sector.
As Beijing and Washington fight to hold sway in creating the governing rules of outer space, China’s plan to take its commercial space industry global suggests it will no longer take restrictions set by the US for granted.
The US prohibits satellites containing American-made components or technology from being launched on Chinese rockets, citing strict export control laws and national security. This restriction is mainly enforced through the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) administered by the US State Department.
Under ITAR, most satellites and satellite components are classified as military-grade equipment and placed on the US Munitions List, making their export tightly controlled. Even if a satellite only includes a small part originating in the US, it falls under the regulations and cannot legally be launched using Chinese launch vehicles.
The measures effectively close off China’s access to the international commercial satellite launch market, even when it has offered competitive pricing and reliable services.
China’s new plan could face other barriers as a result of measures such as the Wolf Amendment, which bars US space agency Nasa from using federal funds to cooperate with China or Chinese-owned companies in space without congressional approval.
While the amendment and Chinese plan do not prohibit other countries from space collaborations with both China and the US, the rift between the world’s top space powers has created a tricky landscape for countries with spacefaring ambitions to navigate.
In October, Shan Zhongde, CNSA director and vice-minister at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, visited China’s eastern Shandong province, where he inspected several commercial projects, according to a post by the agency.
This included the Zhishenxing-1, also known as Pallas-1, a reusable medium-lift rocket being developed by Galactic Energy, a private Beijing-based aerospace company.
Reusable rocket technology, pioneered by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, helps to lower the cost of launching payloads and satellites.
Shan said Chinese President Xi Jinping valued the development of commercial aerospace and that the CNSA was dedicated to coordinating its high-quality development to accelerate the building of space power.
Building up the aerospace sector is among the emerging industry clusters that China has identified as vital within its recommendations for the country’s 15th five-year plan.
In the document released on Tuesday, the CNSA vowed to establish a commercial space development fund and broaden government procurement to integrate capabilities such as launch vehicles, telemetry and control, as well as satellites into national missions.
China will encourage open competition to allow commercial enterprises to take part in space research programmes with a focus on cutting-edge technology, according to the CNSA.
It would also encourage local governments to build innovation platforms for developing areas such as intelligent satellites and reusable rockets.
The CNSA said there would be an increase in the sharing of national networks, such as telemetry, tracking and command systems, as well as in large-scale experimental facilities such as rocket engine testing and space environment simulation facilities.
The Chinese space agency added that it would prioritise technology and products such as reusable launch vehicles, satellite constellation systems, remote sensing and launch and recovery systems that focused on reliability, speed and low cost.
The plan said the operations of commercial space firms would be guided and supervised to comply with safety and international space rules.