“Rocket Street”, the commercial space incubator, comes to Beijing
Construction has been completed on a 145,000-square-metre area in the Yizhuang District. The goal is to create a full-industrial chain that includes launch vehicles, satellite production, new materials, and space technology applications, making the race for the commercial exploitation of aerospace a new strategic sector for China’s economy.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (also known as Beijing E-Town) announced today the completion of the "Rocket Street" project, a complex set to become the People's Republic of China's first national experimental research-and-production base in the commercial aerospace sector, considered strategic for the country's technological development.
The complex is in Yizhuang, a district southeast of the capital, and covers a total area of 145,000 square metres. The project is structured into four main functional zones: a shared technology platform, an innovation centre, a high-end manufacturing hub, and a mission and exhibition centre.
"Rocket Street" will reportedly offer a dozen shared services, including rocket and satellite research, development, and testing, intelligent manufacturing, and integrated space-air-ground mission control systems. The goal is to comprehensively cover the needs of the entire commercial aerospace value chain.
Of particular note are the structural features of the buildings dedicated to innovation and production. These are not conventional workshops, but specialised heavy-duty sites with clear height of 7.9 metres and a load capacity of three tonnes, while the upper floors exceed five metres in height and load-bearing capacity of up to one tonne.
These specifications are designed for the research and production of large aerospace systems, such as rockets, supporting companies engaged in system design, key components, control systems, and satellite terminal production.
Commercial aerospace is one of Beijing E-Town’s key sectors, already attracting more than 180 specialised enterprises.
Commercial rocket firms located in the area account for approximately 75 per cent of the national total, creating a complete industrial chain that includes launch vehicles, satellite manufacturing, new aerospace materials, and space technology applications.
The Chinese government is focusing heavily on the growth of the commercial space sector, including through this type of public support.
In 2014, the State Council issued “Document 60”, which opened the space sector to private investment – until then, the preserve of state-owned companies – to accelerate innovation and production capacity.
The rapid success of SpaceX and the strategic implications of Starlink have strengthened Beijing's determination to develop a competitive commercial space sector, also for geopolitical and security reasons.
In 2024, total investments in the sector exceeded 15 billion yuan, up by almost 40 per cent over 2023.
Many of these companies' founders come from the state-owned space sector, but are now joined by a new generation of engineers and financial investors aware of the economic returns and political recognition associated with contributing to national goals.
A case in point is Galactic Energy, founded in 2018 by former employees of the state-owned space industry which became the second private Chinese company to launch a satellite in 2020.
Initially, it was financed solely by private investors, but since 2021, political support has transformed the landscape.
The commercial space sector is now officially defined as a "new growth engine" in the country, with genuine competition among provincial governments to attract space clusters.
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