China begins construction of its first stainless‑steel rocket gigafactory with capacity for 25 reusable launches per year
China has officially started construction on its first stainless‑steel rocket gigafactory, a major production base dedicated to medium and large liquid‑fuel launch vehicles. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in Hangzhou for Jianyuan Technology's final‑assembly, testing, and recycling‑and‑reuse center, marking the country's first offshore‑recovery rocket manufacturing facility.
Jianyuan Technology is the first private company in China to adopt a stainless‑steel structure combined with liquid‑oxygen methane propulsion for fully reusable rockets. Its core product, the Yuanxing‑1 verification rocket, uses a full‑scale thin‑walled stainless‑steel design with a 4.2‑meter (13.8‑ft) diameter, 26.8‑meter (87.9‑ft) height, and a liftoff mass of about 57 tons (125,600 lb). The rocket is designed for up to 20 reuse cycles.
Yuanxing‑1 has already completed several key milestones. In May 2025, it achieved its first sea‑recovery test flight, reaching an altitude of about 2.5 km (1.55 miles) with a flight duration of 125 seconds. In July 2025, the company completed splash‑recovery engine testing and a full joint swing hot‑fire test, verifying the complete launch‑to‑recovery process in a closed loop.
The new base includes a recycling and reuse center, a testing and inspection center, and a large‑scale manufacturing facility. With a total investment of 5.2 billion yuan (about USD 730 million), the first phase covers 108 acres. Once operational, the factory will be capable of producing 25 Yuanxing‑1 rockets per year, enabling rapid inspection, refurbishment, and turnaround after each recovery.
Jianyuan Technology is a Chinese private aerospace company focused on developing stainless‑steel, methane‑oxygen reusable rockets. The firm aims to build industrialized manufacturing systems for medium and large launch vehicles, including offshore‑recovery capabilities. Through iterative testing and full‑process verification, Jianyuan is positioning itself as a key player in China's emerging commercial‑space sector.
