HELSINKI - Chinese launch startup Cosmoleap has convinced investors to part with $73 million (500 million yuan) for its reusable rocket plans, apparently undeterred by the fact that the rocket in question hasn't actually flown yet. The funding round, announced April 29, was jointly led by Haiyuan Square, with a supporting cast of Houpu Capital, Zhuque Capital, Zhenyuan Capital, Zhikong Capital, Junlian Capital, and strategic cooperation investor Zhongguancun Development Group. The money will go toward product development, testing and validation, and team expansion - because apparently you can't just will a rocket into existence.
Cosmoleap - officially Beijing Dahang Yueqian Technology Co., Ltd., because why use three words when you can use seven - says the funds will fuel development of the Yueqian-1 rocket and what it claims is China's first “tower catch and landing recovery” rocket system. This system sounds suspiciously like SpaceX's Mechzilla tower with its “chopstick” arms, but we're sure the resemblance is purely coincidental. The company plans to start final assembly and testing of the Yueqian-1 in the second half of 2026, with a debut flight penciled in for 2027.
The 70-meter-long, 4.2-meter-diameter Yueqian-1 (also called Leap-1, presumably because “Yueqian” doesn't roll off the English tongue) is designed to haul 18,000 kilograms of payload to low Earth orbit, or 12,000 kg if the first stage bothers to come back. Cosmoleap is developing its own methane-liquid oxygen Qingyu-11 variable thrust engine, rated in the 100-ton thrust class, but has also test-driven the 80-ton thrust class YF-209 methalox engine from state-owned contractor China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
Cosmoleap previously raised around $14 million in November 2024, and even performed a chopstick tower test that month. The company only announced its existence and start of operations in March 2024, meaning its 2027 debut flight timeline - plus the whole “verify unproven tower catch technology” thing - is what experts might diplomatically call “very ambitious.” The funding comes amid a broader surge of support for Chinese launch and commercial space companies, with strong policy backing from central and provincial governments. But Cosmoleap's early-stage funding looks modest compared to more established launch firms that are now securing ever-growing funding rounds and eyeing initial public offerings. Some of these, including Landspace, Space Pioneer, and CAS Space, have already conducted debut launches of potentially reusable, medium-lift launch vehicles in recent months.
Astronstone, another Chinese company working on a chopstick-style rocket recovery system, secured $29 million last month and is aiming for a Q1 2027 debut flight. Meanwhile, CASC is preparing for the debut flight of its Long March 10B rocket expected in May, pushed back from an initial April 28-30 launch window. Landspace is also gearing up for a second flight and recovery attempt of its Zhuque-3 stainless steel rocket in May or June, with the rocket recently heading for Jiuquan spaceport. Those rockets will use a maritime vessel with a net capture system and landing legs for vertical recovery, respectively - because apparently there's more than one way to catch a falling rocket.
China is pursuing reusable launch capabilities to boost its flight cadence and access to space as the country moves toward building space infrastructure including broadband megaconstellations and on-orbit data centers. It is also expanding its launch facilities and ramping up expendable launches to ease a launch bottleneck. Because nothing says “efficient space program” like throwing away perfectly good rockets while you figure out how to catch them.