HELSINKI — China is looking to provide greater support for its commercial space sector through policy changes, easing of licensing restrictions and increased access to resources.
Li Guoping, chief engineer of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) discussed potential changes during a keynote speech at the Zhuhai Commercial Space Development Forum held in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Nov. 11.
The forum focused on modernization of the commercial space governance system and governance capabilities and cultivating a self-sustaining commercial space sector.
Li proposed advancing shared development of commercial space actors through cooperation with nationally-funded entities. This includes opening large-scale facilities funded by the government to commercial space enterprises. Such activities have already taken place in China, with the country’s main space contractor, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) providing a level of access to its test and assembly facilities to commercial launch service providers.
Furthermore, Li calls for encouraging state-owned enterprises to support commercial space companies within the supply chain. Granting access to national satellite data to unlock dormant data resources and establishing a unified, authoritative and open standardization system were measures also mentioned.
Li said commercial space in China has flourished in recent years, covering a wide range of business scope, according to a CNSA report. A number of excellent enterprises have emerged, making important contributions to the high-quality development of the country’s space industry, Li added.
China’s central government last year designated commercial space as a strategic emerging sector for the first time. A number of Chinese provinces and cities have since introduced or are developing action plans to attract and nurture space companies and clusters.
Licensing changes, restriction removal
Li also said CNSA is working with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which develops and implements strategies and plans for national economic and social development, to develop a national civilian space infrastructure medium- and long-term development plan to cover the period 2026-2035, according to a Chinese language online technology portal.
The plan will create further space for the development of commercial space and consider the relaxation of restrictions on commercial remote sensing satellites, Li said.
Measures and areas under study include Industry access, including strengthening the licensing of scientific research and production activities, strengthening the management of permits for rockets, large-scale experiments and test facilities.
Notably, licensing management of crewed commercial flights is listed. Other possibilities include removing restrictions on the development and production of satellites with a mass of more than 500 kilograms, and optimizing satellite development and the launch licensing processes.
The Zhuhai forum also saw the launch of the “Zhuhai initiative for safe, regulated, orderly, and healthy development of commercial space” to guide the sector’s growth.
Regulating China’s commercial space firms came into focus in June this year. Commercial firm Space Pioneer narrowly avoided disaster when a Tianlong-3 first stage static-fire test saw the stage escape its clamps and climb into the sky. The test took place near inhabited areas but the stage crashed into a mountainside.
China has a number of companies engaged in developing reusable medium-lift launch vehicles and plans for numerous commercial constellations, including the planned 14,000-satellite Qianfan, or Thousand Sails, constellation.
Cultivating a strong commercial space sector aligns with China’s national goals of increasing its space capabilities and overall national power.
Officials from more than 10 countries and international organizations, government departments, academia, industry representatives, and more than 90 commercial space companies from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and more attended the forum, according to CNSA.