Space Pioneer天兵科技

Space Pioneer got a liquid-fueled rocket to orbit before any other private company in China, and did it on the first try. Tianlong-2 flew in April 2023 on kerosene and liquid oxygen, with first-stage engines bought from a state supplier rather than developed in-house. That was the point: founder Kang Yonglai, a former chief engineer in the state rocket academy, decided speed mattered more than purity.

The follow-on bet skips a generation. Tianlong-3 is a Falcon 9-class rocket, 71 metres tall and 590 tonnes at liftoff with nine first-stage engines, aimed at constellation launch contracts and eventual reuse. Its development has been anything but calm. In June 2024 a first stage under static fire tore loose from its test stand near Gongyi, flew on its own, and crashed into a hillside with most of its propellant aboard; the stand was rated for less thrust than the stage produces. Nobody was hurt.

The rocket that finally flew in April 2026 failed 33 seconds up, an explosion in the engine bay ending the flight. So the ledger reads: one orbital success on purchased engines, one severe ground accident, one failed debut of the flagship, and an IPO process begun in the middle of it all. A second Tianlong-3 is reported near completion, with another attempt intended late in 2026.