As commercial space launches intensify and leading companies advance their IPO processes, industry momentum continues to build. Within Beijing's "Southern Rockets, Northern Satellites" industrial framework, Haidian District serves as the core hub for the "Northern Satellites" sector, leveraging its concentration of aerospace research institutes. In the Zhongguancun Yihao pilot zone of Beijing's Satellite Town, over 40 commercial space enterprises have gathered, including China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Guoke Tiancheng, Weina Xingkong, Gongda Satellite, Future Astronautics, Chuangyuezhe, and Zhongke Tiansuan. This cluster has initially achieved full-chain coverage from complete satellites to payloads and applications, forming an industrial ecosystem driven by application-led satellite demand and satellite-led payload development.
Many of the companies surveyed have completed new funding rounds in the past six months. "The surroundings of the Satellite Town are very familiar; both work and life are centered here," said Sun Tianyi, Deputy General Manager of Zhixing Space, who left a Haidian-based aerospace research institute in 2018 to start his own business and has witnessed the area's rapid growth.
Zhongguancun Yihao, situated between Beijing's Northwest Fifth and Sixth Ring Roads, features Haidian's tallest office buildings. Since 2018, it has targeted commercial aerospace companies for tenancy, with such firms now accounting for 40% of the park's occupants. In the exhibition hall of Guodian Gaoke, staff explained that the company's self-developed Tianqi Constellation, based on an independently controlled low-orbit satellite communication system, offers global coverage, low power consumption, high capacity, and adaptability to complex environments. In networked areas, it serves as a backup link to ensure emergency communication security for critical facilities like meteorological stations, while in offline areas, it acts as the primary communication link providing stable, continuous short-data transmission services. The system has been applied in sectors such as water resources, forestry, emergency response, energy, transportation, marine monitoring, and consumer electronics. For example, during outdoor越野 races, the Tianqi emergency求救 terminal allows participants to send location-based distress signals with one click in areas without network coverage.
Guo Zhongjia, Deputy General Manager of Guodian Gaoke, stated that the commercial aerospace industry is in the preliminary爆发 stage of large-scale commercial application. The company's focus on low-orbit narrowband communication represents a central link in the industrial chain, significantly driving upstream development in satellite manufacturing and rocket launches while pulling downstream growth in satellite applications like the Internet of Things. Supported by national policies, industrialization and commercialization have accelerated notably in recent years, with large-scale commercial application highly anticipated in the coming years.
Zhixing Space is one of the few companies surveyed that has achieved a commercial闭环 and profitability. With around 50 employees, the firm generates annual revenue exceeding 100 million yuan. Its asset-light business model relies on technological and application innovation to create a satellite-radar commercial闭环. Li Defang, Deputy General Manager of Ellipse Space, also noted that building on achievements from the 2025太空具身智能 system, the company plans to launch a second batch of nine satellites in 2026 to expand ecosystem partnerships and algorithm development in smart ocean and low-altitude economy sectors. The company has already realized a commercial闭环 and entered a phase of rapid industrialization.
Although large-scale application of commercial aerospace has not yet fully expanded, capital market interest in the sector is rising. Several companies surveyed revealed plans to announce new funding rounds, while one well-known satellite firm is preparing for a listing. Industry professionals generally express optimism about future prospects. Gao Yibin, Head of Strategic Research at Future Astronautics, highlighted that commercial aerospace is entering a golden development period. At the national level, the "Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Aerospace (2025–2027)" integrates commercial aerospace into overall strategic planning, with accelerated launch approvals, increased domestic production of core components, and continued investment from industrial funds driving the sector into a standardized,规模化 fast lane. Market-wise, low-orbit constellation networking, satellite internet, space computing power, and 6G integrated space-air-ground applications are accelerating, with the domestic market scale reaching trillions of yuan in 2025 and expected to grow further in 2026. In terms of sector focus, in-orbit services—a high-value segment—are critical for ensuring frequency-orbit safety and supporting constellation operations, with demand projected to surge over the next three to five years.
Local governments are also refining and accelerating their布局 of the commercial aerospace industry. According to Zhongguancun Science City Management Committee, the core area of the under-construction Beijing Satellite Town has planned approximately 540,000 square meters of industrial space, with the first phase expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.
In response to the needs of commercial aerospace firms and the Satellite Town's expansion, Haidian District government and industrial parks are actively engaged. A representative from Zhongguancun Science City noted that the core area will focus on four sectors: satellite R&D, satellite operations, satellite applications, and a satellite talent community, along with three centers for satellite exhibition, exchange, and acceleration/incubation. A 5,000-square-meter commercial aerospace innovation孵化 platform will also be established. Official data shows that Beijing is now home to over 300 commercial aerospace companies. From the "Rocket Street" in Yizhuang to the "Satellite Town" in Haidian, Beijing's "Southern Rockets, Northern Satellites" industrial layout is taking shape.
As a hub for commercial satellites, the Satellite Town also serves as a talent magnet for the industry. An employee at a commercial aerospace company in Zhongguancun Yihao noted that such firms feature high technical density, with staff generally older and many technicians hailing from aerospace research institutes, leading to natural clustering around these institutions. Sun Tianyi emphasized that aerospace products are non-repairable, requiring highly standardized operations and systematic training, as well as practical experience in understanding system architecture,流程 standards, and risk boundaries. Innovation and R&D in commercial aerospace must build on solid engineering experience and iterate within existing technical systems and industrial scenarios.
Guo Zhongjia recalled that 2015 marked the opening of the aerospace sector to private enterprises, initiating the commercial aerospace era. A first wave of capital enthusiasm emerged between 2017 and 2018, spawning numerous rocket and satellite companies. He left China Satcom Group in 2017 to join newly established Guodian Gaoke. Li Defang added that Ellipse Space was founded by a team of former crewed space program experts, with core members from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The company now employs nearly 200 people, over 70% of whom are R&D staff.
Beyond talent, industrial infrastructure is a key factor in location decisions. Gao Yibin pointed out that Haidian's satellite ecosystem is mature and complete, with the Satellite Town pilot zone hosting enterprises across the entire chain—from satellite development and measurement/control to space information services—featuring a high density of specialized and innovative firms with leading collaborative efficiency. Future Astronautics, also founded in 2017, focuses on providing in-orbit delivery and operational services centered on space vehicles. Its Fengxing-1 vehicle is currently in final assembly and comprehensive testing, with a planned launch in the second half of this year to begin in-orbit verification missions.
As an emerging industry, the Satellite Town is attracting talent from diverse fields. A young employee at a commercial aerospace company, who studied finance in the UK before returning to China to join a Haidian-based space firm, noted that the sector benefits from policy support as a high-tech industry, while its growth potential appeals to business-minded graduates. Guo Zhongjia disclosed that Guodian Gaoke employs nearly 200 people nationwide, most of whom are engaged in R&D and technical work in Haidian. With the Tianqi Constellation's first-phase system operational and the second-phase system under development, the company expects significant workforce expansion over the next two to three years.
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