Lingang's First Reusable Rocket Assembly & R&D Base Established
On September 1, 2026, the Lingang Special Area Administration announced that Qianyi Aerospace (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. has officially landed in Lingang, investing in a reusable liquid-propellant rocket R&D center and an assembly & testing base. The facilities will be located at Lingang Science & Technology City's Innovation Magic Square and the Lingang Blue Bay Park. This marks the first integrated R&D and assembly project for reusable launch vehicles in the Lingang Special Area — a significant step from supporting roles to core manufacturing in the region's commercial aerospace ecosystem.
From "Getting There" to "Getting There Affordably": The Decisive Year for Reusable Rockets
Industry consensus holds that 2026 is the decisive year when China's commercial aerospace shifts from "solid rockets showing muscle" to "liquid reusable rockets in fierce competition." According to CIC Industry Research Center data, China's commercial sector completed 50 launches in 2025, accounting for 54% of the national total. In 2026, commercial launches are expected to exceed 60, with total launches surpassing 100. Facing urgent timelines for low-orbit constellation spectrum and orbital slot claims, leading companies are no longer satisfied with merely "sending payloads up" — they now pursue "affordable and frequent access to space." Reusable rockets have become the core enabler for reducing launch costs and supporting large-scale constellation deployment.
Against this backdrop, Qianyi Aerospace officially established its presence in Lingang earlier this month. Founded in 2020, the company claims to be China's first rocket overall design team focused on the aerodynamic deceleration recovery technical route, and the team with the fastest R&D progress that has already initiated actual engineering verification. In June this year, the company announced the completion of a new financing round, led by existing shareholders with participation from Shanghai Saigefei and Shanghai Angel Association. Funds will primarily support the "Xuan Niao-R" rocket scaled flight tests, first-flight and backup rocket production, and core aerodynamic deceleration recovery technology R&D. The company reports completing four financing rounds within four months, with its team expanding to approximately 70 members.
Dual-Base Layout: R&D and Assembly for the Aerodynamic Deceleration Recovery Route
Qianyi Aerospace's Lingang footprint features a coordinated dual-base structure. The R&D center at Innovation Magic Square will focus on core aerodynamic recovery technologies, including digital simulation precision modeling, electrical-mechanical joint debugging and coordinated control, and structural mechanics testing — all aimed at solving reliability challenges in reusable rocket recovery. The center is expected to house 80 personnel, including 50 R&D staff, concentrating on iterative technology development and ground tests for the "Xuan Niao-R" rocket.
The assembly and testing base at Lingang Blue Bay Park will handle the integration, assembly, and full-process testing for the first flight and backup rockets. Expansion is planned for 2027 to align with the maiden flight timeline, gradually building batch launch capacity. Frost & Sullivan's "2026 China Commercial Launch Vehicle Industry Independent Research Report" notes that the industry has entered an accelerated development phase since 2023, transitioning from experimental verification to engineering application and industrialization. Qianyi Aerospace's choice of Lingang reflects the region's complete industrial ecosystem support — from R&D and manufacturing to launch operations.
The Strategic Logistics Advantage: Sea Transport Reshapes Large Rocket Manufacturing Site Selection
Large liquid rocket bodies face significant constraints in land transport due to tunnel, bridge, and road clearance limitations. Qianyi Aerospace states that liquid rockets with diameters exceeding 4 meters face prohibitive costs and restrictions in land transport. Lingang, however, offers direct access to rivers and sea — rockets can be loaded onto ships immediately upon leaving the factory and delivered directly to launch sites. This critical logistics advantage was a key factor in the company's decision to locate its assembly base here, underscoring Lingang's unique geographical value as a major global port city for high-end manufacturing.
Following assembly and testing, the "Xuan Niao-R" rocket will be transported by sea from Lingang port to the Oriental Aerospace Port in Haiyang, Shandong, where it will execute its maiden flight from the No. 1 offshore launch platform. Qianyi Aerospace has already completed technical interface alignment with the Oriental Aerospace Port and signed a cooperation agreement for liquid rocket sea launch projects, covering test launch control processes, sea transport of rocket bodies, and offshore recovery testing. This "Lingang assembly + sea launch" model establishes a seamless logistics chain from manufacturing to launch for large liquid rockets.
Conclusion: From Supporting Roles to Core Assembly — A Leap for Private Aerospace in Lingang
Commercial aerospace is a key future industry that Shanghai is prioritizing. Policy documents set a clear target: by 2027, Shanghai's commercial aerospace industry scale should reach the 100-billion-yuan level, building a national highland for reusable rocket innovation, low-cost satellite batch manufacturing, and industry application services. Lingang has been intensifying efforts in high-end equipment manufacturing and aerospace, becoming an important fulcrum for commercial aerospace enterprises expanding in the Yangtze River Delta. Qianyi Aerospace — a rapidly growing private enterprise — choosing Lingang for its integrated R&D and assembly base not only validates Lingang's industrial ecosystem but also offers a replicable path for other private commercial aerospace companies: deeply integrating core technology R&D with Lingang's unique logistics and manufacturing strengths to secure a competitive position in the industry's decisive battles ahead.
Source: Lingang Special Area Administration Official Website (lingang.gov.cn)