A Chinese spaceflight start-up has unveiled China’s first commercial manned spacecraft test capsule and announced that it will launch its first flight in 2028.
According to local media such as China’s Shin Kyung-bo and Jinlongje, InterstellOr, a Chinese space industry startup, unveiled and announced a life-size test module for the commercial manned spacecraft “CYZ1” the day before.
Interstellar, a private spaceflight technology development and space tourism company, was founded in Beijing in January 2023 and the only one in China to receive approval for a commercial manned spaceflight project, drawing attention.
Following the announcement of its first manned flight in 2028, Interstellar launched a reservation service in the form of receiving a 10% deposit by setting the ticket price at 3 million yuan.
The company explained that more than 10 people have made reservations in various fields such as academia, business, aerospace, art, and entertainment so far.
The list of passengers included Qiuheng, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Zyuan Robot, a star company in the Chinese humanoid robot industry, Wang Jing, founder of the Chinese outdoor brand Torred, and Li Qing, a Chinese process worker.
According to the company’s announcement, the released experimental module has completed a comprehensive verification test for the landing buffer system, and all indicators have met the target.
In particular, it suppressed the impact overload on the ground during landing through reverse propulsion engines and energy absorption structure technology.
The technology will be the third owned by China’s Interstellar after SpaceX, led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the company said.
“There are many excellent companies in China in the field of space, and there is fierce competition in the rocket and satellite fields,” Interstellar Founder and CEO Stingray told the Global Times, an English newspaper affiliated with the People’s Daily, a newspaper of the Communist Party of China. “In order to catch up with the international advanced level, we need to cooperate with each other, complement our strengths, and pursue cooperation for mutual benefit.”
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
