China’s space ambitions reiterated with launch of its first rocket developed by private firm

China launched its first privately developed rocket from a launch pad in its northwest on Thursday, state media said, in what it called the latest milestone in the country’s ambitious space exploration programme.

Since coming to office in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has made becoming a “space flight superpower” a top priority for his government, which has a goal of sending a permanent manned space station into orbit by around 2022.

The launch of the Chongqing Liangjiang Star rocket, developed by OneSpace Technology, a Beijing-based private firm, marks the first time a non-state Chinese rocket has successfully entered orbit, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Also known as the OS-XO, the craft can place a 100kg load into orbit 800km from the Earth, according to state media.

The rocket uses energy-saving technology, such as wireless communications instead of wired internet, that by cutting weight has helped lower fuel costs by about 30 per cent, Xinhua said.