Chinese company will build rockets larger than Starship

Chinese startup Cosmoleap announced it has raised more than $14 million in capital to develop the Yueqian reusable rocket and recovery system, Interesting Engineering reported on November 5. Yueqian’s simulation video reveals a design very similar to SpaceX’s Starship launch system. Yueqian fell from the air before being caught by a pair of mechanical chopsticks. Last month, SpaceX made history when it recovered Starship’s first stage, the Super Heavy booster, mid-air using the launch tower.

Cosmoleap’s full name is Beijing Dahang Technology Transfer Company, founded in March 2024. Cosmoleap proved quite ambitious when it started with a project similar to SpaceX’s Starship launch system. They have now convinced investors that they have the necessary qualifications and experience. Shenergy Chengyi, Tiangchuang Capital, Legend Capital, and several other investment firms participated in the funding round.

Although it looks a lot like Starship, Cosmoleap’s Yueqian rocket is not headed to Mars. Cosmoleap is developing rockets to support the construction of satellite Internet. Starship is also designed to deploy SpaceX’s Starlink version 2 satellite. Cosmoleap will conduct Yueqian’s first test flight in 2025 or 2026.

Cosmoleap’s plans may be overwhelming for a company that has never been to orbit before. However, Yueqian will be much smaller than Starship. This rocket is only 75 m high, compared to Starship’s height of 121 m. Yueqian can carry 10,460 kg of cargo into low Earth orbit. The amount of cargo will be reduced to 6,280 kg when the first floor is recovered.

In fact, Cosmoleap is planning to build a rocket larger than Starship, 126 meters tall. According to the company, the vehicle can carry 100 tons of cargo into low orbit and 36 tons when reused. That new rocket will have its first launch in 2030. If successful, it will be the world’s largest rocket. Cosmoleap hopes they can achieve impressive achievements like SpaceX.