Regional observation | Shandong: Commercial aerospace opens up greater imaginative space
On the journey towards the vast sea of stars, the "shining moments" in Shandong's commercial aerospace field continue to emerge. Based on "sea launch traction, industrial infrastructure support, and industrial chain collaboration", Shandong has built a complete industrial ecosystem of "sea launch services - core manufacturing of satellites and arrows - aerospace information applications", and is fully committed to accelerating the construction of a new highland for high-quality development of commercial aerospace with national influence.
Image source/Haiyang Municipal Committee Propaganda Department
■ Wang Caina
Asking the sky from the sea, Shandong's commercial aerospace industry is experiencing frequent good news, and the space economy is moving from vision to reality. Recently, the Jielong 3 Yao-7 carrier rocket, which was assembled and manufactured by Yantai Haiyang Dongfang Aerospace Port, was launched into orbit, sending 11 satellites from the Geely Constellation 05 group into orbit, creating a new record for high-density launches in China's maritime space industry.
On September 15th, China's independently developed Tianlong-3 large liquid launch vehicle completed the first stage power system test on the offshore platform of Haiyang Dongfang Space Port. The successful test drive marks that Haiyang Dongfang Aerospace Port has the ability to provide full system test support for liquid rockets, accelerating the upgrade of commercial aerospace from "land dependence" to "land sea coordination".
Commercial aerospace refers to market-oriented and commercially profitable space activities, covering areas such as satellite manufacturing, rocket launches, satellite applications, and space tourism. Its technology has a wide radiation range, strong industrial driving force, multiple related industries, and high product added value. It is becoming a new field of competition among major powers, a new battlefield for technological competition, and a new track for industrial competition.
As an important component of strategic emerging industries, "commercial aerospace" has been included in the Government Work Report for two consecutive years, ushering in a golden opportunity for development. The 2024 Government Work Report emphasizes the active development of new growth engines such as biomanufacturing, commercial aerospace, and low altitude economy. The 2025 Government Work Report proposes to promote the safe and healthy development of emerging industries such as commercial aerospace, low altitude economy, and deep-sea technology.
In the competition for a new track in commercial aerospace, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shandong, Sichuan and other places have intensified their layout, issued special policies or action plans to support key technological innovation, industrialization landing, ecological construction, scene development and other aspects of commercial aerospace. The report "Ideas and Paths for the Development of Commercial Aerospace in the 15th Five Year Plan" released by China Electronics Information Industry Development Research Institute (CCID Research Institute) believes that the entire industrial chain of commercial aerospace in China is achieving rapid development and is expected to reach maturity by the end of the 15th Five Year Plan or the 16th Five Year Plan period.
Commercial aerospace is accelerating its takeoff, and Shandong holds an important position. Based on "sea launch traction, industrial infrastructure support, and industrial chain collaboration", Shandong has built a complete industrial ecosystem of "sea launch services - core manufacturing of satellites and arrows - aerospace information applications". At present, Yantai focuses on maritime launch organization and rocket manufacturing, Jinan focuses on satellite research and development and ground equipment manufacturing, and Qingdao focuses on measurement and control services and ocean remote sensing applications. The three regions have initially formed a cluster pattern of differentiated development and complementary advantages.
In Shandong, the seemingly zero based commercial aerospace industry is actually deeply rooted in the manufacturing foundation and resource endowment built over decades. As a component supporting enterprise, Jinan Iron and Steel Group has entered the commercial aerospace field, building a space industry ecosystem covering "research and development production testing" in three major areas: satellite assembly manufacturing, satellite core components, and rocket power testing. It has the ability to produce 100 satellites of 500 kg each year, and the space traveling wave tube developed can amplify microwave small signals 100000 times. At the same time, it has built 20 ton and 100 ton engine test benches and power system test benches. It has now become a backbone enterprise in Shandong Province's aerospace industry and the main enterprise in Jinan's aerospace information industry chain.
Against the backdrop of accelerated development of commercial aerospace and increasing demand for launches, maritime launches have become a new focus of commercial aerospace due to their advantages of economy, convenience, and flexibility. As the fifth rocket launch base and the only commercial space sea launch homeport in China, Haiyang Dongfang Aerospace Port has built the largest solid rocket industry base in China, and strives to achieve the national first flight of liquid rockets at sea within this year, continuously consolidating the core advantages of Shandong Province's sea launch and accelerating the construction of an internationally first-class commercial space sea launch homeport.
The entire process of rocket "factory launch" can be completed within 48 hours, and the development trajectory of Haiyang Dongfang Aerospace Port may reveal the booming development trend of commercial aerospace. After 5 years of development, Dongfang Aerospace Port has attracted 30 aerospace industry projects with a total investment of 32.2 billion yuan, gathering the three major elements of "satellites, rockets, and launch sites" within a 34 square kilometer area, forging the three core capabilities of "sea launch services, rocket assembly and measurement, and aerospace information services", and building a four in one commercial aerospace industry system of "stars in the sky, arrows on land, ships on the sea, and networks in the air".
The "Shandong Province Aerospace Industry Development Plan" proposes to cultivate 300 key aerospace enterprises in the province by 2030, create about 10 distinctive aerospace industry parks, and form more than 5 provincial-level strategic emerging industry clusters and goose shaped clusters with prominent advantages, with the guidance of the three nuclear forces, multi-point support, and open cooperation.
Digging into the stars and the sea, Shandong has great potential.
Information source: China Economic Times
