Space pull system: China’s industrial revolution to make rockets and satellites like cars

Borrowing from the motor industry, the national aerospace sector embraces a new mass production operating model

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Employees work on the production line of new energy vehicles at a new energy vehicle (NEV) plant of FAW Toyota in Tianjin, China. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Published: 10:00pm, 28 Sep 2025

China’s aerospace industry is undergoing a quiet but potentially game-changing manufacturing revolution that could make rockets and satellites as efficiently produced as cars, according to scientists involved in the project.

Through a painful structural reform, the country’s state-owned space sector is adopting a new production philosophy known as the “final assembly pull” system, a model inspired by lean manufacturing principles seen in the car industry.

This emerging system aims to mass-produce space systems not just quickly but with consistent quality, lower cost and greater flexibility.

With global space activity projected to grow exponentially fuelled by new technology and orbital launches reaching 170,000 tonnes of payloads annually by 2045, the country that masters scalable space production will dominate the future, according to the researchers.

Traditional aerospace production has been a “push” system: components are made based on forecasts and schedules, often leading to mismatches, delays and inventory pile-ups.

Mock-ups of the New Generation Launch Vehicles of the Long March family of rockets on display during the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Macau. Photo: Shutterstock

The new “pull” model flips this logic. Instead of pushing parts through the pipeline, final assembly pulls components from upstream suppliers solely when needed and strictly in the required quantity.

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