'Beijing Rocket Street': A launchpad for accelerated development

The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, or E-Town, has rolled out projects and shared infrastructure to boost the commercial aerospace industry, measures that officials say will help private companies cut costs, accelerate satellite and rocket production, and strengthen industrial collaboration.

The announcement came on Friday at a conference in the area, which brought together local officials, experts and scholars, aerospace institutes, private space companies, and international guests.

Authorities unveiled nine major production-capacity projects, six satellite programs, and six industrial platforms under the "Beijing Rocket Street" initiative.

China's commercial aerospace sector has grown rapidly. In 2025, the country conducted 50 commercial space launches, more than half of all missions that year, and placed 311 commercial satellites into orbit, representing 84 percent of the total.

"Commercial aerospace has progressed across the full industrial chain, from research and development to satellite launches, tracking and control, and downstream applications," said Zhang Rusheng, deputy director of the commercial aerospace department at the China National Space Administration. He added that Beijing, as a global innovation hub, is increasingly shaping the sector's development.

As launch frequency and satellite deployment accelerate, officials said the focus is now shifting from scale to efficiency.

Fragmented resources, repeated investment in testing facilities and pressure on infrastructure have emerged as key challenges, particularly for private companies.

Beijing's response centers on shared infrastructure.

And the flagship Beijing Rocket Street project embodies this methodology. Covering 145,000 square meters, it is described as China's first shared commercial aerospace research and production base.

The project has completed final inspections and is entering the delivery and operational phase.

The site is divided into four functional zones: a common technology platform, an innovation and research center, a high-end manufacturing center, and a display and operations control center. Together, they offer more than 10 shared services, including vibration, thermal vacuum and separation testing for rockets and satellites.

"This initiative is designed to expand industrial development space and strengthen industry support with shared platforms," said Ma Zhao, deputy director at the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area's robotics and intelligent manufacturing industry bureau. "By doing so, we aim to release new productive capacity while boosting confidence across the industry."

Beijing's E-Town has become one of China's most concentrated commercial aerospace clusters. Rockets developed in the area carried out 24 launches in 2025, representing more than 90 percent of China's commercial rocket missions, according to the E-Town authorities.

Enterprises noted the importance of the shared infrastructure and targeted services in the area.

Xia Dongkun, vice-president of Galactic Energy, a leading commercial aerospace company with R&D bases in E-Town, highlighted the benefits of policies regarding talent, investment, and insurance.

The shared platforms enhance synergy between upstream and downstream industries, improving efficiency and financial capabilities.

Galaxy Space, another industry leader, values the cutting-edge industrial foundation in the area, such as intelligent driving and embodied intelligent robots, said Liu Chang, the company's co-founder.

The company plans to build a factory in E-Town with an annual production capacity of 500 satellites, making it China's largest facility for mass production of low Earth orbit satellites, utilizing a lot of automated equipment, she added.

Ma said E-Town will continue focusing on reusable rockets, satellite internet, future space technologies, and new infrastructure. The area aims to attract up to 1,000 companies, support more than 1,000 commercial rocket launches, and generate hundreds of billions of yuan in revenue, consolidating Beijing's position as a national center for high-quality commercial aerospace development.