Meet Dai Zheng, the space veteran betting on China’s reusable rocket revolution

Dai Zheng, a veteran in China's space industry, has taken a bold gamble by leaving his prestigious role in the state-run space program to join a private start-up. His decision proved fruitful on August 19 when a rocket booster returned from orbit and landed upright for the first time in Chinese commercial space history. The success marked a significant milestone in China's pursuit of reusable launch vehicles, fulfilling Dai's decade-long belief in reusability's importance to reduce launch costs and support the nation's ambitious satellite plans.

In 2016, Dai joined LandSpace, an unproven private start-up, as its deputy general manager. He had to leave a secure position at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) after earning a master's degree in engineering mechanics from Tsinghua University. Despite the emotional struggle of leaving a stable career, Dai recognized the need to take the leap towards reusability, which could revolutionize space travel.

The first attempt to recover a rocket booster proved unsuccessful in December, leading to a crash and a subsequent eight-month recovery effort. Dai's team had to pivot and build their own liquid-propulsion system for the Zhuque-2, powered by self-developed Tianque liquid oxygen-methane engines. This strategy paid off when Zhuque-2 became the first methane-powered rocket to reach orbit in July 2023.

Dai aims to build upon this success with the larger Zhuque-3, incorporating stainless steel for the main body due to its ability to withstand re-entry heat and reduce the need for thermal shielding. China's space sector faces significant competition from the United States, where SpaceX has already deployed thousands of internet satellites. Dai stressed the nation's responsibility to ensure the next generation of Chinese space workers and citizens can look up and see their own satellites, rather than American ones.