China’s main space contractor has pledged to begin suborbital space tourism flights within five years, signaling a major push into commercial spaceflight as Beijing intensifies its space ambitions amid global competition. The move highlights China’s intent to expand beyond government-led missions into emerging space-based markets.
The commitment was announced by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s primary space contractor, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday. CASC said it plans to achieve operational suborbital tourism flights and gradually advance toward orbital space tourism, alongside building a gigawatt-level space digital intelligence infrastructure, underscoring the strategic scope of the initiative.
The planned suborbital missions would allow passengers to briefly experience weightlessness and view Earth from space before returning, placing China among a small group of nations pursuing commercial human spaceflight. Developing orbital tourism would require more advanced launch systems, spacecraft reusability, and enhanced safety standards, potentially accelerating innovation across China’s broader commercial space sector.