商业航天是指以市场为主导、具有商业盈利模式的航天活动，旨在通过商业市场的方式开展航天技术和服务的研发、制造、发射和应用。随着航天技术进步和市场需求变化，作为新质生产力的商业航天正从导入期迈向成长期，逐步在卫星通信、遥感、导航等领域发挥重要作用。中国商业航天的起源可以追溯到21世纪初，但真正的快速发展始于2014年。2000年，中国航天科技集团和中国航天科工集团等国有航天企业开始探索市场化运作，但商业航天尚未形成独立业态。2014年，国务院发布《关于创新重点领域投融资机制鼓励社会投资的指导意见》，提出鼓励民间资本参与航天活动。我国商业航天由此萌芽。2015年，国家发改委、财政部、国防科工局发布《国家民用空间基础设施中长期发展规划（2015—2025年）》，明确鼓励商业航天发展。由此，众多民营企业纷纷进入商业航天市场。此后，我国商业航天进入高速发展阶段，形成覆盖火箭发射、卫星制造、地面设备、应用服务的全产业链生态。
商业运载火箭是指在遵循国家安全监管要求的前提下，企业依托自有资金、社会资本或合资合营等市场化机制，开展以运载火箭研制、生产、总装测试及发射服务为核心的相关活动，主要以实现市场化运营为目标。相较于传统由国家主导的航天运载系统，商业运载火箭更加强调客户需求响应、发射效率与成本控制，具备更高的市场灵活性与技术迭代速度。其服务对象主要包括商业卫星运营商及科研单位，应用范围覆盖遥感、通信、导航等多种任务类型。随着发射需求不断增长及技术持续进步，商业运载火箭已成为我国现代航天发射体系的重要组成部分，并在推动航天产业市场化、规模化发展的过程中发挥愈发显著的作用。
商业运载火箭行业的产业链可分为上游、中游和下游三个环节。上游为各类火箭原材料、电子元器件及分系统供应商。依托门类齐全、规模庞大的工业体系，中国在商业运载火箭领域形成了突出的供应链优势。高性能材料、电子元器件等关键原料均具备完整的产业基础和成熟的供应体系，实现了关键零部件和分系统的本地化供应；材料工艺、数控加工、工业软件与测试验证技术的快速发展，显著降低了火箭研制的成本和周期；此外，聚集在京津冀、长三角、珠三角等地的航天制造与配套企业集群，有助于加快供货周期和提高交付稳定性，从成本控制、质量保障到供应安全，为中国商业运载火箭行业的发展提供了坚实的供应链支撑。中游主要是商业运载火箭的研制与发射服务提供商，涉及火箭的总体设计、总装总测以及发射等多个环节。下游则为卫星运营企业以及终端用户。卫星类型主要包括通信卫星、遥感卫星、导航卫星、算力卫星、科学试验卫星以及国家战略任务卫星等，终端用户主要包括政府、企业及个人。
Commercial space refers to space activities that are market-driven and operate under a commercial profit model. Its purpose is to conduct research and development, manufacturing, launch, and application of space technologies and services through market-oriented mechanisms. With advances in space technology and evolving market demand, commercial space—emerging as a new productive force—is transitioning from the introduction stage to the growth stage, gradually playing an increasingly important role in fields such as satellite communications, remote sensing, and navigation.
The origins of China’s commercial space sector can be traced back to the early 21st century, though rapid development truly began in 2014. In 2000, state-owned enterprises such as the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) began exploring market-oriented operations, but commercial space had not yet formed as an independent industry. In 2014, the State Council issued the Guiding Opinions on Innovating Investment and Financing Mechanisms in Key Areas to Encourage Social Investment, which encouraged private capital to participate in space activities. This marked the initial emergence of China’s commercial space industry. In 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense jointly released the Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan for National Civil Space Infrastructure (2015–2025), explicitly supporting the development of commercial space. Since then, numerous private enterprises have entered the market, propelling China’s commercial space industry into a phase of rapid growth and forming a full industrial ecosystem covering rocket launches, satellite manufacturing, ground equipment, and application services.
Commercial launch vehicles refer to activities carried out by enterprises—under national safety and regulatory requirements—through self-financing, social capital, or joint ventures, focusing on the development, production, integration testing, and launch services of carrier rockets, with the primary goal of achieving market-oriented operations. Compared with traditional state-led launch systems, commercial launch vehicles place greater emphasis on customer demand responsiveness, launch efficiency, and cost control, offering higher market flexibility and faster technological iteration. Their primary clients include commercial satellite operators and research institutions, with applications spanning remote sensing, communications, navigation, and other mission types. As launch demand continues to grow and technology advances, commercial launch vehicles have become an integral part of China’s modern space launch system, playing an increasingly significant role in driving the marketization and scaling-up of the space industry.
The commercial launch vehicle industry can be divided into upstream, midstream, and downstream segments. Upstream suppliers provide raw materials, electronic components, and subsystems, and China’s comprehensive industrial system has established a strong supply chain advantage in this field. Key raw materials such as high-performance materials and electronic components benefit from a complete industrial foundation and mature supply systems, enabling localized supply of critical parts and subsystems. Rapid advances in material processing, CNC machining, industrial software, and testing and verification technologies have significantly reduced rocket development costs and cycles. Furthermore, clusters of aerospace manufacturing and supporting enterprises in regions such as Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta accelerate supply cycles and enhance delivery reliability, providing robust supply chain support for cost control, quality assurance, and supply security. Midstream enterprises focus on the development and launch services of commercial rockets, covering overall design, assembly and testing, and launch operations. Downstream consists of satellite operators and end-users, with satellite categories including communication satellites, remote sensing satellites, navigation satellites, computing satellites, scientific experiment satellites, and satellites serving national strategic missions, while end-users encompass government agencies, enterprises, and individuals.
