Is China’s commercial rocket now cheaper than Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9?
China's commercial rocket debuts at a lower cost per kilogram than SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9.
CAS Space, a commercial firm established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has launched its new Kinetica-2 rocket, achieving a claimed cost milestone. The rocket, also known as Lijian-2 Y1, successfully completed its inaugural flight from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, delivering a prototype cargo spacecraft and a mini space lab satellite into orbit. According to company vice-president Yang Haoliang, the launch cost for the non-reusable Kinetica-2 is approximately 30,000 yuan per kilogram, or about $4,350 per kg.
This reported price undercuts the frequently cited $5,000 per kilogram cost for SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket, as noted by Chinese state media. The achievement signals a new phase of price competition emerging from China's rapidly developing commercial space sector. While the Falcon 9's reusability offers different long-term economic advantages, the Kinetica-2's debut price point challenges the current cost structure of the global launch market, which has been dominated by US companies like SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.
- CAS Space's Kinetica-2 rocket launched successfully, delivering three satellites including a cargo spacecraft prototype.
- The company claims a launch cost of $4,350/kg, lower than SpaceX Falcon 9's reported $5,000/kg cost.
- This represents a major cost milestone for China's commercial space sector, introducing new competition.
Why It Matters
Introduces price competition in the global satellite launch market, potentially lowering costs for space access worldwide.