在中国火箭行业对民营企业开放仅仅11年后，蓝箭航天和天兵科技正迅速缩小与SpaceX和蓝色起源的差距。2025年12月，蓝箭的朱雀三号在酒泉进行试射，尝试首次由非美国公司回收可重复使用一级火箭，目标着陆点距离发射场约390公里，虽然最终爆炸，但获取了关键真实飞行数据。

目前由国企研制的长征系列依然占据主导地位，2024年共执行了49次发射，最大近地轨道运载能力约25吨，不过新一代运载火箭正在向SpaceX的指标逼近。朱雀三号和天龙三号的近地轨道运力约为21吨，接近猎鹰九号22.8吨的水平，而新格伦和星舰的目标运力则分别约45吨和100吨。

技术路线也透露出中国民营火箭在可重复使用和市场定位上的雄心。蓝箭在2023年发射的朱雀二号成为首枚进入轨道的甲烷+液氧火箭，与新格伦和星舰采用更清洁推进剂的策略一致，两家企业还瞄准为国网和干帆两大星座发射超过2.8万颗卫星，若无可靠可回收火箭，这一规模几乎难以实现。

Since China opened its rocket sector to private firms only 11 years ago, LandSpace and Space Pioneer have rapidly closed some of the gap with SpaceX and Blue Origin. In December 2025 LandSpace’s Zhuque‑3 attempted the first non‑American reusable booster landing, targeting a site 390 km from Jiuquan before the first stage exploded after collecting critical flight data.

State‑owned Long March rockets still dominate with 49 launches in 2024 and payloads up to 25 tonnes to low‑Earth orbit, but new vehicles are converging on SpaceX’s workhorse metrics. ZQ‑3 and Tianlong‑3 can lift about 21 tonnes to LEO versus Falcon 9’s 22.8 tonnes, while Blue Origin’s New Glenn and SpaceX’s Starship aim much higher at roughly 45 and 100 tonnes respectively.

Technological choices also signal long‑term reusability ambitions and market positioning. LandSpace’s 2023 ZQ‑2 became the first methane‑and‑LOX orbital rocket, mirroring the cleaner propellant strategy of New Glenn and Starship, and both Chinese firms are vying to launch more than 28,000 satellites for the Guowang and Qianfan broadband constellations, a scale unlikely to be economical without reliable reusable boosters.

Source: The Chinese rocket industry takes off

Subtitle: A reusable booster failed last week, but showed the Americans they may soon have competition

Dateline: 12月 11, 2025 06:01 上午