China Pushes Space Industry, from Mass Satellites to "Gas Stations" in Orbit

China is no longer just testing space technology. The country is now pushing its commercial space industry into mass production. Satellites are mass-produced, rockets are prepared faster, and services in orbit are starting to be built.

According to a report by China Daily quoted Wednesday, June 3, China's commercial space sector recorded 50 launches in 2025. The figure is equivalent to 54 percent of the total national space launch. In the same year, 311 commercial satellites were successfully placed in orbit, or 84 percent of China's total satellites.

The ambition is even greater. At the end of December, China applied for registration of up to 203 thousand additional satellites to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ITU is a UN body that regulates satellite frequencies and orbits. The rules use the principle of who first registers and fulfills the obligation of use, he gets the right first.

Therefore, China's challenge is not just technology. They must be able to produce quickly, launch cheaply, and keep the supply chain ready.

GalaxySpace is one example. Lin Guangrong, the company's constellation communications system architect, said GalaxySpace has moved from a "custom workshop" model to a "digital factory".

A constellation is a group of many satellites that work as one network. GalaxySpace now has a production chain of satellites weighing 100 to 2,000 kilograms. Its capacity reaches 100 to 150 medium-sized satellites per year. Production time has also been cut by 80 percent compared to the old way.

Rockets are also industrialized. The Lijian-2 Y1 rocket, for example, uses almost the same core design and additional propellant. Deputy head of Lijian-2 designer, Lian Jie, said the pattern made the main components mass-produced.

"Making a rocket now starts to resemble stacking blocks," Lian said, quoted by China Daily.

China is also starting to prepare for services in orbit. The Yuxing-3 06 satellite launched from Jiuquan simulated refueling using a robotic arm. The Suzhou Sanyuan Aerospace Technology satellite is projected to be a kind of "space gas station".

Vice President of Beijing Aerospace Yuxing Technology, Cao Meng, said the target was even further to build a "space 4S workshop" for maintenance and repair of space assets.

Artificial intelligence is also brought into orbit. At an altitude of about 500 kilometers from Earth, 12 computing satellites form a network called the "Three-Body Computing Constellation". This Zhijiang Lab project is made so that satellite data can be processed directly in space.

Zhijiang Lab director Wang Jian said that almost 90 percent of current satellite data is wasted before it reaches Earth due to processing limitations on satellites. With AI in orbit, data for disasters, weather, and urban planning can be sent faster.

On the communication side, GalaxySpace is developing a Q/V band antenna. This frequency is said to be able to double the bandwidth of satellite internet. Bandwidth is the capacity of a data line. The larger the bandwidth, the more data that can be sent at one time.

The weight of the antenna also dropped from more than 7 kilograms to 3.2 kilograms. This means that one rocket can carry more satellites.

The technology was tested through Little Spider Web, China's first low-orbit broadband constellation. This network has been used for maritime emergency communication tests, power grid connections, fire suppression with drones, to visual transmission for humanoid robots.

The consumer market is also starting to be targeted. BeiDou Satellite Communication, a subsidiary of the Norinco Group, has included the BeiDou short message service into mass-market mobile phones. Unlike regular GPS, BeiDou can send location and status without a mobile signal.

Since 2022, hundreds of millions of phones with the feature have been shipped to the market. The company is also working with outdoor gear brands to embed satellite communication modules into jackets and outdoor gear.

China's industrial model is different from SpaceX. If SpaceX controls many things from chips to rockets, China divides the roles. Rocket manufacturers focus on launchers. Satellite makers focus on spacecraft. Local governments build industrial clusters.

But the big ambition is time-consuming. ITU rules use the "use it or lose it" principle. After registering an orbit, the applicant must launch the first satellite within seven years and deploy 10 percent of the constellation within nine years. If it fails, the orbital right can be lost.

It is this pressure that has led China to pursue reusable rockets. Zhuque-3 has already undergone its maiden flight in 2025 and tested the technology of re-entering the atmosphere. Tianlong-3 is also being prepared to carry 36 satellites in one flight.

Experts estimate that reusable rockets can cut launch costs by 40 to 60 percent.

As domestic capabilities strengthen, Chinese companies are starting to exit. GalaxySpace has entered into a partnership in Thailand to build a ground station and test low-orbit satellite internet. Another deal was signed in Hong Kong to explore the Middle East and African markets.

For developing countries, this is an important signal. Space competition is no longer just about the prestige of big countries. The technology is starting to enter into mobile phones, smart vehicles, agriculture, disasters, the sea, and internet connections. The sky is getting crowded, and services from orbit will become part of the daily economy.