Particle.news
Download on the App Store

China’s Space Contractor Maps Push for Tourism, Gigawatt On-Orbit Computing, and Space Governance

The pledge signals a shift from capability building to monetization, with an eye on rule-setting.

Overview

  • CASC says it will achieve suborbital space tourism operations within about five years and begin developing orbital tourist flights.
  • The plan includes a gigawatt-level space digital intelligence architecture, with in-orbit cloud–edge–terminal computing to process data in space.
  • The contractor highlights technology for small-body resource prospecting, autonomous extraction, debris monitoring, and shaping space-traffic management rules.
  • The announcement follows late-2025 ITU filings by Chinese entities outlining roughly 200,000 satellites over 14 years to secure frequencies and orbital resources.
  • China posted a record 93 launches last year even as a lack of proven reusable-rocket tests remains a key cost and cadence bottleneck.