--- title: "China’s New Spaceship Is a Blatant Ripoff of SpaceX’s Starship" description: "China has showed off a concept for its upcoming Long March 9, a ultra heavy-lift reusable rocket that looks a lot like SpaceX's Starship." date: "2024-11-05" modified: "2024-11-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-spaceship-starship" categories: - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "china" - "falcon 9" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # China’s New Spaceship Is a Blatant Ripoff of SpaceX’s Starship ![China has showed off a concept for its upcoming Long March 9, a ultra heavy-lift reusable rocket that looks a lot like SpaceX's Starship.]() *\Image: mtol115 via Reddit\* ## AliExpress Starship China has showed off a concept for its upcoming Long March 9, a ultra heavy-lift reusable rocket designed to deliver the first Chinese astronauts to the surface of the Moon in the 2030s. And as [*Ars Technica* reports](), its design is an unabashed ripoff of SpaceX's Starship rocket, also currently in development. A slide from a presentation at a recent airshow in China shows off a strikingly familiar design for a "two-stage, fully reusable configuration" — right down to [aerodynamic flaps]() that aid the rocket during its descent back to the surface. The rocket will purportedly feature 30 methane and liquid oxygen fuel rocket engines, not unlike the 33 Raptor engines that power Starship's first stage and which rely on the same mix of fuel. While the country isn't planning to fly the massive, 374-feet-tall rocket until 2033, the design highlights just how much of a headstart and influence SpaceX has in the current race to develop reusable rockets. ## Sincerest Flattery As *Ars* points out, it's far from the first time we've seen China's space program — as well as Chinese space startups — rip off SpaceX's designs. In 2021, a promotional video by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology [clearly aped]() the Elon Musk-led company's early plans for an end-to-end transportation system that made use of Starship, which was known as "BFR" at the time. Another [suspicious Starship lookalike design]() for a two-stage methane-liquid launch system surfaced in 2022 as well. Just last week, Chinese space launch company Cosmoleap released a promo video that copied SpaceX's plans for a tower with "chopstick" arms designed to catch the first stage of a reusable rocket, as [spotted by *SpaceNews*](). SpaceX [recently pulled off the feat]() for the first time during its fifth Starship test flight last month. A different Chinese space startup, called Space Pioneer, also [announced plans]() for a rocket late last year that closely resembles SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9. In short, is this all just a sign that China has run out of ideas and is blindly following its international competition? Or is it a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Regardless, it's a strategy. China is still hoping to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030 using its Long March 10 rocket, a predecessor to its Starship-like Long March 9 rocket. That's several years after NASA's first scheduled crewed landing, which is [tentatively scheduled for late 2026](). But to establish a more permanent presence on the Moon, a reusable rocket would give either country a massive leg up, whether it's a genuine Starship or a lookalike. **More on Starship:** *[In Video of Elon Musk Playing Diablo IV, Background Gives Away Wild Details About Starship]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()