China plans to develop the world's first electromagnetic rocket launch platform by 2028 in a project that seeks to reduce costs and increase the frequency of access to space.
The system, developed by private company Galactic Energy in collaboration with state-run research institutes, the municipal government of Ziyang (in central Sichuan province) and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), will use superconducting magnets to accelerate rockets to supersonic speeds before ignition, in a structure similar to a maglev train but oriented vertically.
According to its creators, this technology would double cargo capacity, significantly reduce operating costs and facilitate more frequent launches with less maintenance, Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.
The long-term goal is to make rocket launches as frequent, predictable and efficient as daily high-speed train trips by integrating them into a regularly used technology infrastructure.
However, experts warned that technical hurdles remain, such as flight accuracy and thermal endurance during the initial climb.
The verification platform is being built by CASIC and the Ziyang government. In September 2023, a magnetic levitation test using high-temperature superconductors reached a speed of 234 kilometers per hour on a 380-meter track as part of the project's initial technical checks.
Founded in 2018, Galactic Energy has completed 18 successful launches of its Ceres-1 rocket, with a total of 77 satellites placed into orbit.
The most recent, on March 21, placed six weather satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit.
The company is also working on developing the Ceres-2, with a payload capacity of up to 3.5 tons, compared to 400 kilograms for the previous model.
In September 2023, however, one of its launches failed due to “abnormal in-flight performance,” according to the company.
Just days earlier, Galactic Energy had become the first private Chinese company to successfully launch from sea.
Chinese scientists have already begun investigating similar systems for the lunar environment, with the aim of transporting materials such as helium-3 from the surface of the Earth's satellite using electromagnetic catapults, thus eliminating the need for large amounts of fuel.
Although the plan is still in its preliminary stages, the initiative is part of the Chinese government's strategy to consolidate its commercial aerospace industry.
China has invested heavily in its space program in recent years, achieving milestones such as the landing of the Chang'e 4 probe on the far side of the moon, the arrival on Mars and the construction of the Tiangong space station, which will operate for about ten years.
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