China Releases Action Plan for Promoting Commercial Space Development
"Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Space"
The China National Space Administration has released, on November 25th, its “Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Space (推进商业航天高质量安全发展行动计划)” for the years 2025, 2026, and 2027. The document outlines various ways the space activity administrator will foster China’s commercial space industry, following an update to the commercial space regulation in July.
In Xinhua’s reports about the new document, focus was put on bringing commercial space into China’s international cooperation efforts, bringing privately backed enterprises into efforts for technology breakthroughs, and unifying national regulatory standards while expanding space launch sites.
Mention was also made, by the media and the action plan (point thirteen), of encouraging lower-level governments to support commercial space by establishing ‘technology-innovation centers’, which appears to be a form of technology policy direction following President Xi Jinping’s (习近平) July warning about overinvestment into artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.
Overall, the action plan will provide and encourage greater funding as well as enterprise development and support, increase commercial space’s involvement in government space plans (national, provincial, and municipal), push for safer development and space activities by following international rules, and promote national and international collaboration.
At time of publication, the China National Space Administration has only released the action plan in Chinese. As such, I’ve prepared an unofficial translation of the plan and provided it below. Any errors present are my own, if you find any problems with this translation please reach out and correct me. If you are looking to reference any part of the transcript, please refer to the Chinese one posted by the China National Space Administration.
Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Space (2025-2027)
Preamble for industry
To relevant departments and commercial space enterprises: Commercial space is an important force in promoting the development of the space industry and building a strong space nation. To implement the strategic deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and to further support, encourage, and guide the high-quality and safe development of commercial space, the National Space Administration has formulated this Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Space (2025-2027). It is hereby issued to you; please ensure its thorough implementation.
China National Space Administration, November 18th 2025, for public release.
I. Overall Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implementing the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and the Second, Third, and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee, fully and accurately implementing the new development philosophy, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, adhering to high-quality development, combining an effective market with an active government, and balancing development and security, commercial space will be incorporated into the overall national space development framework. The plan aims to create an open, transparent, fair, and just policy and regulatory environment, optimize resource allocation and improve development efficiency, advance supply-side structural reform in the space sector, improve the industrial ecosystem, accelerate the formation of new quality productive forces in space, achieve overall improvement in space development effectiveness, and strongly support the construction of a strong space nation.
Adhere to innovative thinking to enhance development momentum. Fully leverage the primary role of commercial space enterprises in innovation, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, and support and encourage exploratory, pioneering technological innovations and business model innovations. Adhere to systematic thinking to advance industrial synergy. Fully utilize the decisive role of the market in resource allocation while better leveraging the government’s role. Strengthen systematic planning and layout across the entire industrial chain, promote the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains, foster industrial cooperation, and build a sound industrial ecosystem. Adhere to rule-of-law thinking to ensure safety and order. Improve the policy and regulatory framework, foster a favorable business environment, safeguard the rights and interests of commercial space development, strengthen safety supervision and management, and advance both high-quality development and high-level safety in commercial space activities.
By 2027, the commercial space industrial ecosystem will be highly efficient and collaborative, scientific research and production will be safe and orderly, the industrial scale will be significantly expanded, innovation and creativity will be significantly enhanced, resource capabilities will be comprehensively constructed and efficiently utilized, industry governance capabilities will be significantly improved, and high-quality development of commercial space will be basically achieved.
II. Key Initiatives
(I) Enhance Innovation and Creativity
Competitively open national research projects. Civil space research programs and basic research projects will be open to commercial space entities, strengthen strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of commercial space basic research, support research and development of advanced technologies such as new concepts, new products, and low-cost solutions, and accelerate high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. Focus on frontier and key technology areas such as advanced space propulsion technology, advanced satellite platforms and payload technology, and integrated communications-navigation-remote sensing applications, and encourage commercial space entities to actively participate in civil space projects and major national programs.
Promote commercial application of national technological achievements. Improve the intellectual property system, promote the establishment of mechanisms for promoting and applying scientific and technological achievements formed by national investment to commercial space entities, implement large-scale application demonstration actions for new technologies, new products, and new scenarios in commercial space, explore multiple technological routes, and increase the construction and opening of application scenarios. Encourage local governments to establish several advanced technology achievement transformation centers and service platforms, establish mechanisms for sharing scientific and technological achievements, provide preferential policies and financial support for the incubation and implementation of space technology achievements, promote the application of national space technology achievements in the commercial space field, and improve national scientific and technological innovation effectiveness.
Build space science and technology innovation platforms. Promote the establishment of the China Commercial Space Promotion Association, encourage reasonable talent mobility, and establish industry-university-research cooperation and innovation mechanisms featuring joint development, complementary advantages, shared results, and shared risks. Encourage local governments to establish technology innovation centers in key areas such as reusable rockets and intelligent satellites; build public technology platforms around key aspects such as intelligent manufacturing and final assembly and testing, conduct research on common technologies and tackle major scientific and technological projects, support commercial space entities in accelerating technological iteration, and promote and drive space research and production toward low-cost and large-scale transformation.
(II) Efficiently Utilize Capabilities and Resources
Promote open sharing of national research and testing facilities and equipment. Improve policies for hierarchical and classified open sharing and use of major research and testing facilities and equipment, balance the relationship between an effective market and an active government, rely on industry strengths to build information service platforms, make good use of financial incentive funds for open sharing, stimulate the enthusiasm and initiative of relevant units to open and share facilities and equipment, and on the premise of ensuring safe use, increase the opening and sharing of national civil telemetry and control stations, receiving stations, calibration sites, ground truth validation sites, and large-scale testing facilities and equipment such as rocket engine test stands and space environment testing equipment to commercial space entities.
Promote coordinated construction and integrated application of ground infrastructure. Strengthen overall planning, optimize layout structure, and promote integrated convergence. Coordinate civil and commercial needs in ground infrastructure construction, promote demonstration and construction of public service support and testing facilities, encourage and support commercial space enterprises to accelerate the construction of major pilot platforms with strong industry leadership, standardize and guide the construction of commercial space launch and testing infrastructure, collaboratively promote the construction of commercial space launch sites, and promote the integrated development of national infrastructure and commercial infrastructure. Establish equal and reasonable sharing and co-use cooperation mechanisms, support state-owned enterprises, universities, and research institutes in providing market-based pilot services, encourage commercial space facilities to participate in national space project support and guarantee tasks, and improve the utilization efficiency of ground infrastructure.
Promote integrated development of civil and commercial space standards systems. Establish an authoritative, unified, open, and shared space standards system. Research and formulate relevant technical standards and specifications around key aspects such as commercial satellite and rocket development, launch services, telemetry and control operations, on-orbit collision avoidance, satellite data applications, and safety supervision, clarify mandatory standards and guidance standards, and improve the systematic nature and practicality of standards in the commercial space field. Promote the unification of civil and commercial space standards to achieve highly compatible, flexibly open, heterogeneously reconfigurable, and interconnected and interoperable civil and commercial space system architectures.
Improve support mechanisms for commercial satellite construction and operation. Research and formulate policies and systems for commercial satellite launch, telemetry and control, on-orbit operation management, transfer, deorbiting, and return, establish relevant mechanism processes, and promote efficient construction and utilization of satellite resources. Make full use of state-owned and commercial monitoring facilities and space-based control systems, build and maintain independent cataloging dynamic databases of space debris, carry out space debris data information sharing and application, space debris tracking and monitoring, and risk assessment, support on-orbit collision early warning and response for commercial spacecraft and emergency response to incidents. Explore the use of deposits, letters of guarantee, and other methods to coordinate commercial satellite deorbiting and safe reentry work.
Promote safe and efficient use of satellite data. Promote the issuance of implementation rules to support commercial development and utilization of data formed by government investment, encourage local governments to guide commercial space entities to focus on application development and develop typical demonstration application scenarios. Promote the issuance of satellite data transmission security standards, standardize data acquisition and use, establish commercial satellite data quality certification and compliance review systems, and improve the security protection capabilities of satellite systems and ground networks. Research commercial satellite data security classification standards and safety supervision mechanisms to promote satellite data application implementation. Build a trustworthy platform for commercial satellite data sharing, promote the establishment of space big data sharing and trading mechanisms, and integrated space-based data information service systems.
(III) Promote Industrial Development and Growth
Promote industrial structure optimization. Encourage commercial space to deploy in relevant segments of the space industry chain, strengthen satellite and rocket manufacturing, expand application services, extend telemetry and control operation capabilities, and promote high-quality development of the commercial space industry. Focus on supporting commercial space entities in developing new technologies and products and exploring new application scenarios. Space transportation systems focus on supporting the construction and development of low-cost, high-reliability, rapid-response, and reusable commercial launch vehicles; spacecraft systems focus on supporting the construction and development of low-orbit communications, navigation enhancement, and high-resolution remote sensing satellite constellation systems; launch and recovery systems coordinate planning for commercial launch sites and supporting facilities, sea launches, recovery sites, and other new commercial launch systems; telemetry and control systems focus on supporting the construction of integrated commercial telemetry and control layouts and resource integration and utilization; application systems focus on supporting the development of application scenarios and product services for mass consumer services and international markets.
Guide local governments to promote commercial space industry development. Enhance regional development coordination and promote regional linkage development. Guide local governments to leverage their distinctive advantages in local resources, science and technology, talent, and industrial supporting facilities, leverage the clustering effects of industrial parks, and develop the commercial space industry according to local conditions.
Support expansion of new business formats. Support commercial space entities in strengthening original innovation and research on key core technologies, system development, and application services around new areas such as space resource development and utilization, space manufacturing, on-orbit maintenance and services, space environment monitoring and detection, space debris monitoring, warning, mitigation and removal, space tourism, and space biopharmaceuticals, innovate business models, and develop emerging business formats.
Guide cultivation of patient capital. Improve the investment and financing system and mechanisms for commercial space development, establish a National Commercial Space Development Fund, encourage local governments, financial institutions, and social capital to jointly establish investment platforms, and guide capital to pursue long-term investment, strategic investment, and value investment. Establish a project referral mechanism, select commercial space projects that conform to space development plans and investment policy directions and have strong innovation, good demonstration effects, and industrialization development potential for referral to the fund, which will make independent market-based decisions.
Expand government procurement. Strengthen efforts to coordinate public welfare needs of government departments, improve government procurement service mechanisms, promote participation of commercial capabilities such as commercial launch vehicles, commercial satellites, commercial launch sites, and commercial telemetry and control facilities in national space missions, and encourage government departments at all levels to expand procurement of commercial space services.
Support international development. Encourage commercial space entities to actively participate in the formulation of relevant international rules in outer space, promote commercial space enterprises to expand overseas in an orderly manner through bilateral and multilateral government cooperation channels, promote China’s commercial space projects and capabilities, encourage commercial space entities to participate in foreign cooperation and exchanges, and help developing countries develop satellite applications and other industries. Select excellent commercial space projects for inclusion in relevant channels for international space cooperation support.
(IV) Improve Industry Management and Services
Improve the commercial space regulatory and policy system. Accelerate the promotion of national space law legislation, clarify the status and role of commercial space in national space development, and ensure the healthy and sustainable development of commercial space. Focus on key areas such as space debris mitigation and protection, approval of specific space product and technology export projects, international space cooperation, space launch licensing management, space object registration management, open sharing of space science data, protection of the moon and other celestial bodies, space traffic management, and space launch site management, and accelerate the issuance of relevant regulatory and policy documents. Promote the confirmation of property rights for assets such as launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellite data, and testing equipment and facilities to protect the rights and interests of commercial space entities. Improve market access mechanisms for commercial space, establish a negative list for market access, reasonably adjust relevant professional qualification regulations, and enterprises developing commercial satellites do not need to obtain weapons and equipment research and production licenses. Strengthen publicity and interpretation of regulations and policies and improve government service efficiency.
Strengthen overall coordination of commercial space development. Improve communication and coordination mechanisms among competent departments, continuously optimize relevant access and licensing approval processes, and meet the flexible response to market demand by commercial space entities. Coordinate commercial space development needs, encourage enterprises to jointly innovate with research institutes and universities, and strengthen guidance for commercial space launch vehicles, satellites, and other key technology research. Optimize the spatial layout of commercial space development, guide local governments and commercial space entities to focus on differentiated development, and avoid low-level redundant construction.
Promote open collaboration in industrial and supply chains. Continuously organize assessments of space industry chain and supply chain security and industry compliance, promote the construction of a commercial space entity information management service system, comprehensively and accurately grasp the development dynamics and progress of commercial space entities, establish scientific industry statistical standards, promote the construction of a space industry chain and supply chain basic database, and provide support for scientific industry management and efficient services. Further promote open integration of the space industry chain and supply chain, and encourage state-owned enterprises and private enterprises to mutually enter each other’s supply chain systems with their advantageous supporting products.
Implement liability for damages from commercial space activities. Establish an inter-departmental commercial space damage compensation supervision and service mechanism to supervise and guide the assessment and settlement of personal injury and property damage caused by launch vehicles and spacecraft during research and testing, launch, on-orbit operation, and reentry stages. Establish a mandatory insurance system for commercial space activities, implement the compensation responsibilities of space object owners, launch providers, operators, etc., through third-party liability insurance and other commercial insurance for commercial space activities.
Guide commercial space entities to comply with international outer space rules. Strengthen publicity and interpretation of international outer space rules, guide commercial space entities to comply with space traffic management rules, ensure that commercial space activities are legal and compliant, actively take effective measures especially for rocket passivation and satellite deorbiting to ensure compliance with international outer space rules and domestic management policy requirements, and promote sustainable development of space activities.
(V) Strengthen Safety Oversight Across the Entire Supply Chain
Strengthen safety supervision organization and management. Further tighten and implement the safety supervision responsibilities of central, local, and enterprise entities and the main safety responsibilities, promote the establishment of a commercial space safety supervision working mechanism, and gradually establish a basic commercial space safety supervision system with clear responsibilities, defined division of labor, effective measures, and long-term effectiveness. Formulate and issue urgently needed safety supervision measures for testing, launch, access, data applications, and other aspects, gradually establish a standardized and orderly policy and institutional system, and create an industrial ecosystem and development environment that maintains the bottom line of safety and is full of innovative vitality.
Strengthen safety inspections throughout the product lifecycle. Establish a safety inspection system covering the entire process and all elements of product development, testing, final assembly, testing, launch, on-orbit operation, deorbiting, and data applications. Industry competent departments, together with relevant departments with supervision and inspection responsibilities, conduct strict inspections of product quality and reliability, safety, fire safety, special equipment safety, hazardous materials safety, hazardous operations safety, road transportation safety, landing area safety, and space safety at key stages such as product phase transitions, factory delivery, testing, launch, and data applications. Conduct safety rechecks and evaluations of key systems or products involving major safety risks, seriously rectify hidden dangers, and strictly pursue accountability for safety accidents or serious consequences.
Improve safety supervision capabilities. Establish a certification system and strengthen professional capacity building in safety review, certification, consulting, and training services. Strengthen research and reserves in safety supervision technology, research safety supervision and inspection methods for reusable launch vehicles, return satellites, commercial crewed spacecraft, etc. Gradually establish a quantified safety risk identification, analysis, and evaluation technical system and decision-making mechanisms based on quantified risk indicators. Research and establish a commercial space safety supervision service platform to achieve informatization of enterprise information registration, dynamic risks of important equipment, facilities, and major hazard sources, reporting of important activity information, and real-time safety risk evaluation, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of safety supervision.