China’s Next Frontier

Key Points:

• On August 19, China’s LandSpace company successfully recovered a rocket booster on land for the first time, marking a significant milestone in China’s reusable rocket technology and space industry growth, following a prior sea-based recovery by a state-owned contractor.
• China’s commercial space launches have more than doubled from 39 in 2020 to 92 in 2025, with Chinese companies planning to deploy tens of thousands of communications satellites, positioning China as a rising competitor to the U.S. in space-based services and technology.
• The People’s Liberation Army is enhancing its military space capabilities, including antisatellite weapons and satellite maneuvering technologies, posing new risks to U.S. military reliance on space for communications, navigation, and intelligence.
• The U.S. faces strategic challenges due to overdependence on SpaceX’s launch capabilities and satellite infrastructure, necessitating diversification of launch providers, investment in emerging technologies, and stronger international cooperation with allies to maintain space security.
• Sustained and consistent U.S. investment in space technology and infrastructure, alongside fostering a competitive domestic space industry and enhancing allied partnerships, is critical to counter China’s growing space power and to adapt to a multipolar space environment.