Alibaba considering reusable rockets for express deliveries across the globe
Space Epoch, a Chinese rocket manufacturer, has announced its partnership with Alibaba's e-commerce platform, Taobao, to revolutionize cargo deliveries. The collaboration aims to transform global deliveries by using rockets to transport packages across vast distances in record time. The partnership announcement was made on WeChat, a popular social media platform in China on March 31. The plan revolves around Space Epoch's new rocket, called Yuanxing-1.
How Yuanxing-1 will revolutionize deliveries
Yuanxing-1, the innovative rocket, is designed to carry up to 10 tons of cargo in a 120 cubic meter container into orbit. The entire delivery process, from launch to delivery, is projected to take just one hour. An animation released with the announcement shows the package crossing all over China in only 25 minutes before being unloaded into a waiting van.
Comparisons to SpaceX's Starship and challenges ahead
The concept of using rockets for global cargo transportation is not entirely new, with SpaceX's Starship being explored by the US Air Force for similar purposes. However, the economic feasibility and practicality of such a system, especially for Alibaba's inexpensive plastic products, remain uncertain. To achieve global deliveries for Alibaba, Space Epoch would need to make significant advancements that would surpass SpaceX's current technology.
Space Epoch's progress and China's space ambitions
Space Epoch's rocket has already undergone early ignition and offshore recovery tests last year. Despite this progress, no Chinese entity has yet succeeded in landing a rocket after launch, a feat regularly accomplished by SpaceX. China's space program has seen significant growth recently with 17 commercial launches and only one failure out of 67 orbital launches last year. State-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology is also developing reusable rockets to support China's goal of sending astronauts to Moon by 2030.
