December 16, 2025, 5:06 AM EST. China's space startup scene is chasing SpaceX's Starship blueprint, with several firms unveiling Starship-like concepts and the state-run media spotlighting near-identical designs. Beijing Leading Rocket Technology's Xingzhou-1 and rivals such as Cosmoleap and Astronstone have released renders that echo Starship's proportions, grid fins, and booster-landing motifs. Officials even showcased a two-stage, fully reusable concept years ago that resembles Starship. Yet Chinese teams face a long road to practical reusable rocketry, highlighted by LandScape's Zhuque-3 failure on its first orbital attempt. Meanwhile, SpaceX itself continues to wrestle with reliability and cost, and NASA is exploring alternatives as it plans a lunar-landing push. The question remains: can Chinese startups translate flashy visuals into a working, capital-efficient reusable rocket program?
