Asia

China Joins Commercial Space Race With Private Company's Rocket Launch

Beijing-based OneSpace Technologies launched its OS-X rocket Thursday.

China Joins Commercial Space Race With Private Company's Rocket Launch
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SMS

China has entered the commercial space race.

Beijing-based OneSpace Technologies launched its OS-X rocket Thursday. It's the first rocket launched by a private Chinese company. OneSpace has been compared to Space X. But, the OS-X is no Falcon.

The OS-X is less than half the size of the first and current Falcon rockets. And OS-X rocket boosters can't be re-used.

But, OneSpace's launch does show China's steady progress. In 2012, President Xi Jinping said he wanted to make China a "spaceflight superpower." OneSpace was founded three years later. The company reportedly has plans for 10 missions in 2019.