The following plan from the Chinese equivalent of NASA sets goals for the development of China’s emerging commercial spaceflight industry. In China, space has until very recently been the near-exclusive preserve of the military and state-owned aerospace conglomerates, and this plan is an initial attempt to smooth the path for private Chinese space companies to enter this market. The plan proposes making state-funded space technologies accessible to private firms for commercialization, making test, calibration, and telemetry facilities available to private space companies, and establishing laws and insurance for the commercial space sector. It also encourages local governments to prioritize the development of new commercial space companies in their jurisdictions.

An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at:    https://perma.cc/ETZ9-YL4Q

China National Space Administration Action Plan to Promote the High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Spaceflight (2025-2027)

I. Overall Requirements

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and of the Second, Third, and Fourth Plenums of the 20th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee; fully, accurately, and comprehensively apply the new concept of development (新发展理念); accelerate the building of the new pattern of development (新发展格局); adhere to high-quality development; uphold the combination of efficient markets and an assertive government (有为政府); persist in doing overall planning for development and security;¹ incorporate commercial spaceflight into the overall national space development framework; foster an open, transparent, fair, and just policy and regulatory environment; promote optimized resource allocation and improved development efficiency; advance supply-side structural reform in the space sector; improve the industrial ecosystem; accelerate the formation of new quality productive forces (新质生产力) for space; realize an overall enhancement of the effectiveness of space development; and provide strong support for building China into a space powerhouse.²

Persist in innovative thinking and strengthen development momentum. Give full play to the role of commercial spaceflight enterprises as the mainstay of innovation; promote the deep integration of scientific and technological (S&T) innovation with industrial innovation; support and encourage exploratory and leading technological innovation as well as innovation in business models. Adhere to systematic thinking and advance industrial collaboration. Give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation while better leveraging the role of government; strengthen systematic planning and layout across the entire production chain; promote deep integration of the innovation chain, production chain, capital chain, and talent chain; encourage industrial cooperation; and build a sound industrial ecosystem. Persist in rule-of-law thinking to ensure safety and order. Improve the policy and regulatory system; foster a favorable business environment; safeguard the rights and interests of commercial spaceflight development; strengthen safety supervision and management; and advance high-quality development and high-level security in commercial spaceflight.

By 2027, the commercial spaceflight industrial ecosystem will be efficiently coordinated; research, development, and production will be safe and orderly; the scale of the industry will expand significantly; innovation and creativity will be markedly enhanced; resources and capabilities will be developed in a coordinated manner and utilized efficiently; industry governance capacity will be notably improved; and high-quality development of commercial spaceflight will be basically achieved.

II. Key Measures

(a) Enhance Innovation and Creative Momentum.

1. Competitively open up (开放) national scientific research projects. Open up civilian space research programs and basic research projects to commercial spaceflight entities; strengthen the strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of basic research in commercial spaceflight; support R&D of advanced technologies such as new concepts, new products, and low-cost solutions; and accelerate the attainment of high-level S&T self-reliance (自立自强). With a focus on cutting-edge and key technology areas such as advanced space propulsion technologies, advanced satellite platforms and payload technologies, and integrated communication-navigation-remote-sensing applications, encourage commercial spaceflight entities to actively participate in the R&D and construction of civilian space projects and major national special projects.

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1. Translator’s note: The Chinese word 安全 encompasses the meanings of both “safety” (protection from accidental harm) and “security” (protection from deliberate harm). In this translation, it is variously translated as “safety,” “security,” or “safety and security” at the translator’s discretion.
2. Translator’s note: This translation renders the Chinese word 强国 qiángguó—which literally means “strong nation” and is sometimes translated “superpower”—in English as “powerhouse,” as in the phrase “space powerhouse” (航天强国). For a more thorough discussion in English of the Chinese word qiángguó, see: https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/digichina/blog/lexicon-wangluo-qiangguo/.