Space startups in China
The directory tracks 15 space companies in China. They work on launch, communications & connectivity, Earth observation, propulsion and more.
Updated 27 September 2026 · 8 milestones in the last 90 days · Follow by RSS
Where things stand
As of 27 September 2026
Launch dominates the Chinese list. Eight of its companies work on launch, and Jiuzhou Yunjian makes engines for other companies' rockets. LandSpace's Zhuque-2 became the first methane-fuelled rocket anywhere to reach orbit in 2023. Space Pioneer's Tianlong-2 reached orbit the same year, the first private Chinese liquid-fuelled rocket to do it. Its Tianlong-3 failed about 33 seconds into its first flight in April 2026. Galactic Energy lost its new Ceres-2 on its debut in January 2026, then put Pallas-1 into orbit on its first flight in September.
Six of the launch companies are building rockets that land and fly again. In August 2026 LandSpace landed a Zhuque-3 first stage, China's first recovery of an orbital-class booster on land. i-Space launched China's first rocket recovery ship in August 2025. Space Epoch flew a 57-tonne stainless steel test vehicle to 2.5 km in May 2025 and landed it in the sea under power.
Outside launch, GalaxySpace built the first privately made satellites in Guowang, China's state megaconstellation. In August 2026 it exported a whole satellite for the first time, a cubesat for Thailand. Chang Guang Satellite has launched 161 Jilin-1 imaging satellites. Geespace, the satellite arm of the carmaker Geely, won approval in August 2026 for a two-year commercial trial of its connectivity service. Seven are working toward a stock market listing. OneSpace gave up building whole rockets after a launch failure in 2019.
Latest milestones
Every dated event from the companies below, newest first, each with its source.
GalaxySpace: Lingzhi-09, a cubesat built for Thailand, reaches orbit on a Long March 6C, the company's first export of a whole satellite with its ground system
Geespace: MIIT approves a two-year commercial trial of its satellite connectivity service in China, with 64 satellites in orbit
Orienspace: Closes a pre-C round of several hundred million yuan and begins IPO preparation, with the reusable Gravity-2 aimed at a fourth-quarter debut
i-Space: First tranche of a Series E raises nearly ¥1 billion for Hyperbola-3
LandSpace: Zhuque-3 lands its first stage 390 km downrange, China's first orbital-class booster recovery on land and the third company ever to do it; video then showed a fire breaking out in its aft section
Chang Guang Satellite: Raises about 5B yuan led by state funds and restarts its IPO, with 161 Jilin-1 satellites launched across 30 launchesOrienspace: Third Gravity-1 flight carries nine satellites from the East China Sea, a Chinese commercial payload recordShow 40 earlier milestones
Spacety: Raises 1.3B yuan from mostly state-linked funds to scale radar manufacturing, with an IPO in preparationGalaxySpace: Begins A-share IPO tutoring after a Series C from Beijing government fundsi-Space: Closes a ¥5 billion Series D++, the largest Chinese launch roundLandSpace: Zhuque-3 reaches orbit on its debut; the first stage is lost during its landing attemptLandSpace: Shanghai Stock Exchange accepts its STAR Market IPO applicationOrienspace: Second Gravity-1 flight succeeds after a 21-month gapi-Space: Launches China's first rocket recovery shipGalaxySpace: Nine of its satellites become the first privately built spacecraft in the state Guowang megaconstellationLandSpace: Zhuque-2E fails when an electrical arc shorts second-stage control unitsi-Space: Hyperbola-1 returns to flight after a year on the groundSpacety: Six Tianyi satellites reach orbit on a single LandSpace launchChang Guang Satellite: Claims a 100 gigabit per second laser image downlink, tenfold its 2023 demonstrationChang Guang Satellite: Withdraws its STAR Market IPO after two years under review
Deep Blue Aerospace: Sells China's first publicly offered space tourism tickets, two seats for a planned 2027 flight, on a Taobao livestreamDeep Blue Aerospace: High-altitude recovery test fails in the final seconds when engines shut down early; the stage falls and explodesLandSpace: A Zhuque-3 test article flies a 10 km hop with China's first in-flight reignition of a liquid rocket enginei-Space: Fourth stage anomaly loses three Yunyao-1 weather satellitesGalaxySpace: Runs China's first overseas LEO broadband trial, in Thailand
OneSpace: Securities Times reports the whole-rocket business abandonedOrienspace: Closes a 600M yuan round for the Gravity seriesOrienspace: Gravity-1, the most powerful solid rocket ever flown, reaches orbit from a sea platform on its debuti-Space: Hyperbola-2Y hopper flies to 178 metres and lands under powerAll 15 companies
Companies still operating first, then by latest news.
China's most-flown private rocket
GalaxySpace Mass-producing broadband satellites
Geespace Geely's satellite constellation for connected cars
Orienspace Big solid rockets launched from ships
i-Space Developing a commercial space shuttle
LandSpace Methane rockets that land
Chang Guang Satellite The world's biggest sub-meter constellation
MinoSpaceSatellites built to order, 10 kg to a ton
Space PioneerFirst private Chinese liquid rocket to orbit
Spacety Small radar satellites at high cadence
Space EpochStainless steel rockets caught by the sea
Jiuzhou YunjianMethalox engines for everyone's rockets
Origin SpaceProspecting asteroids with telescopes
Deep Blue Aerospace Landing rockets before reaching orbit
OneSpace DormantLaunch services for satellites and spacecraft
How many space startups are there in China?
Space Bandits tracks 15 space companies in China. Of those, 14 are active startups.
What do space startups in China work on?
The biggest groups are launch (8), communications & connectivity (2) and Earth observation (2), out of 6 sectors in all.
What is the latest news from space startups in China?
The most recent milestone on record is from Galactic Energy, dated 1 September 2026: "Pallas-1 reaches orbit on its debut from Jiuquan, with first-stage recovery planned for later flights."
How many space startups in China have shut down?
None has shut down, but 1 is dormant, with no public activity for years.
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