HELSINKI — Chinese startup Space Pioneer has completed a launch pad at Jiuquan spaceport for its Tianlong-3 liquid propellent rocket ahead of a first orbital launch.
Space Pioneer announced July 23 that its launch pad for the Tianlong-3 at Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone within Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center had recently passed final construction acceptance.
The facility supports horizontal assembly, testing, transfer and vertical launch operations. The newly-completed infrastructure includes kerosene and liquid oxygen storage, helium and nitrogen supply, testing buildings and integrated safety systems.
The company then immediately conducted a full-scale integrated rehearsal using a 1:1 mockup of the Tianlong-3, successfully validating pad operations.
Space Pioneer is working towards a first launch of its Tianlong-3 rocket, though it has not provided a recent timeline for an orbital launch attempt.
Tianlong-3 is, according to Space Pioneer’s webpages, a 72-meter-long, 3.8-meter-diameter, two-stage kerosene-lox launch vehicle. Designed for partial reusability, it is intended to be comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. It is capable of carrying 17-22,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit, or 10-17,000 kg to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The first stage is powered by nine Tianhuo-12 variable thrust engines.
The company raised $207 million for its launch ambitions in early June 2024. Just weeks later, on June 30, the company experienced a major setback. A static fire test of the Tianlong-3 first stage ended in failure when the stage unintentionally lifted off after escaping its clamps. It flew a short distance before crashing into a nearby hillside, resulting in a huge fireball.
Space Pioneer announced June 11 it had successfully conducted a nine-engine static fire test of a redesigned first-stage aft structure, addressing the structural weaknesses identified in the “630” June 30 incident. The company stated the failure was caused by insufficient structural integrity in the tail section, now reinforced as part of a broader reliability overhaul.
Space Pioneer stated it had made 127 technical improvements, including engine health monitoring, structural reinforcement, fault diagnostics and more, as well as 13 new ground validation tests. Additionally, it made 258 safety and management upgrades, including safety training and protocols aligned with military aerospace standards.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) this week issued a notice on tightening oversight and quality supervision over the commercial space sector.
Multiple Chinese-language outlets reported in early July that a Henan and Gongyi county-linked aerospace fund invested 500 million yuan ($70 million) in Jiangsu Tianbing Aerospace Technology, a Space Pioneer subsidiary. However, most of these reports were subsequently taken down, and the circumstances of the investment remain unclear.
Space Pioneer is one of several Chinese commercial launch startups backed by both private and local government investment amid national strategy to foster a robust commercial space sector. Some of these, including Landspace, CAS Space and Expace, have launch facilities at Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone.
The Dongfeng test area was established to accommodate high-density commercial rocket activity, allowing multiple private firms to conduct frequent launch and test operations. Landspace aims to make a first orbital launch attempt with its Zhuque-3 methane-lox, stainless steel reusable rocket from Jiuquan late in the year.