On August 26th, a major disaster struck Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Tibet, triggered by a mudslide on the Nepalese side. By August 27th, Wuxi-based company Micro Nano Star had delivered post-disaster remote sensing monitoring images and data analysis results to national emergency management authorities at all levels to support rescue and disaster relief operations. Meanwhile, Tianyi Space, another company with operations in Wuxi, coordinated with partners to leverage its “Electric Power Construction No. 1” SAR satellite to capture the first batch of radar remote sensing images after the disaster, and dispatched a satellite technical team to the front line to conduct on-site verification and disaster assessment.
With the situation “visible,” losses assessable, and rescue efforts backed by solid evidence, this “stellar” support mission, deeply involving Wuxi’s commercial space industry, has proven to the world that this future-oriented sector is playing an increasingly vital role in real-world applications. As one of Wuxi’s first batch of key future industries to be cultivated, the city’s commercial space supply chain has now gathered 325 companies. In the first half of this year, the industry’s momentum accelerated, with revenue from above-scale enterprises growing 22.1% year-on-year.
Industry insiders note that the commercial space supply chain, cultivated through years of dedicated effort, is undergoing a qualitative transformation amidst continuous quantitative accumulation. In the first half of 2026, a total of 154 space launches were completed globally, with China accounting for 44 launches, a 26% year-on-year increase, successfully placing 223 satellites into their intended orbits.
Wuxi first entered the commercial aerospace sector in 2012 through its work on “two engines” (aircraft engines and gas turbines). In 2024, the city formed dedicated teams to attract key industry leaders, accelerating its momentum. By the end of last year, four of the top ten private rocket companies in China had established operations in Wuxi. The city's ability to support complete rocket integration within its borders has placed it among the leading tier in the industry's value chain.
A series of critical breakthroughs have been happening in rapid succession across Wuxi's industrial landscape. In August this year, the successful launch of the Zhuque-3 Y2 rocket marked China's first recovery of a rocket on land, validating the complete technical path for reusable rockets. The LandSpace Wuxi production base, operational for just a few months, will serve as a solid foundation for subsequent reuse iterations and batch production. Meanwhile, Micro Nano Star's intelligent commercial satellite production line in Wuxi is currently the largest and most intelligent satellite batch production base in Jiangsu Province. In June this year, six Huantian constellation networking satellites were shipped from this facility, marking Wuxi's official entry into the era of “batch manufacturing” for commercial satellites. In March, Wuxi officially established the nation's first commercial aerospace “Satellite Alliance,” focusing on space services, grounded in regional industrial collaboration and oriented towards commercial operations, pioneering a working model for the sector.
From rockets to satellites, and from data to applications, Wuxi's commercial space industry has entered a phase of deep development. Notably, the “multiplier effect” triggered by this new momentum continues to grow. In late July, the Wuxi-based company Derrun Technology announced it had broken its own record twice within two months, achieving a conversion efficiency of 38% for its flexible thin-film triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells. These cells significantly enhance the power-to-weight ratio of solar arrays, reduce stowed volume, and provide greater design flexibility for reducing satellite platform weight, shrinking launch envelopes, improving power supply capabilities, and enabling more flexible deployment. Derrun's products have already gained recognition from multiple domestic satellite development and space power companies, leading to bulk orders and onboard applications.
The local clustering of the commercial space industry has created more opportunities for companies like Derrun. In February, Derrun participated in a space photovoltaic supply-demand matchmaking event held in Wuxi. In March, it showcased its core products at the inaugural 2026 Shanghai Commercial Space Conference and Exhibition. Shortly thereafter, it joined the Wuxi Space Photovoltaic Industry Alliance, engaging deeply with upstream and downstream partners.
Beyond these examples, Feierkang supplies combustion chambers, turbo pumps, and other key components for iSpace's “Hyperbola” rocket engines. Xin Chao He Jin serves as the core supplier of grid fins for LandSpace. Spray's friction stir welding technology has solved the challenge of tank sealing, and Taber Valves products are used in core supporting equipment at the Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Site. In all, nearly 50 local manufacturing companies in Wuxi have integrated into the commercial space supply chain.
The future of commercial space is within reach. In March, Wuxi convened a high-profile commercial space industry promotion conference, where leaders from renowned companies including Deep Blue Aerospace, Micro Nano Star, and Helium Star Link sat down with city leaders and relevant department heads. The government and enterprises share a common vision: to position commercial space as a core track for future success, targeting a hundred-billion-yuan scale to define a new peak for the industry. A more coordinated, larger-scale deployment with greater resolve is on the agenda. The Hainan Provincial Government and Jiangsu Provincial Government have signed a strategic cooperation memorandum on commercial space. Wuxi has also signed a commercial space cooperation memorandum with Lianyungang and the Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Company, as well as a strategic cooperation agreement on a commercial space consortium with Lianyungang and Wenchang. This deepens Wuxi's integration into the “provincial coordination + municipal implementation” industrial framework.
Financial backing is also substantial. Wuxi Guolian Group has established the province's first special aerospace industry fund totaling 2 billion yuan. The municipal industrial group, in partnership with Huishan District, has set up a 1 billion yuan commercial space special fund with an additional 400 million yuan supporting pool. Liangxi District has established a 2 billion yuan aerospace industry special fund. In total, funds participating in commercial space projects across the city now amount to 18.5 billion yuan, directed towards core supply chain enterprises and high-growth projects. On this fiercely competitive track, Wuxi is striving to take the crucial step from “following and supporting” to “running alongside and leading.”
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