Dahang Yuetian Raises 500M RMB in Funding to Accelerate China's First Tower-Catch Reusable Rocket
Summary: On April 30, Dahang Yuetian, China's only private rocket company focused on tower-catch ("chopsticks") recovery technology, announced the completion of a 500 million RMB funding round. The round was co-led by Qianhai Ark, Houji Capital, and Puhua Capital, with participation from over ten investment institutions and industrial partner Shenhan Cable. Funds will accelerate development and maiden launch of the Yueqian-1 reusable liquid launch vehicle, scheduled for its first flight in 2027.
Credit: Dahang Yuetian / DoNews
About Yueqian-1
Yueqian-1 (YQ-1) is China's first launch vehicle adopting the "chopsticks" tower-catch recovery approach for its first stage, similar to SpaceX's Super Heavy booster catch mechanism. The rocket's first stage will be captured by mechanical arms on the launch tower rather than landing vertically.
Key development milestones:
- December 2024: Design scheme passed review
- January 2025: Auxiliary power system ground hot-fire test successful
- March 2025: Rocket engine and control system joint test successful
- May 2025: Liquid launch vehicle auxiliary power system integration test successful, entering mass production phase
- November 2025: "Chopsticks" tower recovery test platform completed
- First half of 2026: Self-developed "Huoshi-1" flight control system passed full-condition certification; core technology breakthroughs achieved
The Yueqian-1's first stage uses multiple liquid oxygen/methane engines, with the main engine developed by CASC's Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion. With this funding, engine reliability verification has been completed, and the vehicle is ready for flight testing.
Investors and Fund Usage
This round was co-led by Qianhai Ark, Houji Capital, and Puhua Capital, with participation from Junling Capital, Haiyuan Capital, Huifengda, Junchuan Capital, Chongqing Shachuang Xincai, Zhongzhong Technology, Yuanchuang Capital, Hanli Capital, and Shanghai Angel Association. Industrial partner Shenhan Cable participated as a strategic investor. Existing shareholders also increased their stakes. Huaxing Capital served as the long-term financial advisor for this round.
Funds will primarily be used for:
- Engineering development and maiden launch preparation of the Yueqian-1 reusable launch vehicle
- R&D and ground testing of a hundred-ton-class liquid oxygen/methane engine
- Continued construction and optimization of the tower recovery test platform
China's Commercial Rocket Recovery Race
2026 is viewed as a critical year for reusable technology verification among Chinese commercial rockets. Beyond Yueqian-1, several vehicles are competing in the reusable technology space:
- Long March 10B: Scheduled for maiden flight in Q2 2026, testing sea-based flexible net capture and recovery technology, designed for 10+ reuses with 72-hour turnaround
- Zhuque-3 Yao-2: LandSpace model, has completed problem-resolution and entered factory exit phase, targeting Q2 launch for first-stage vertical recovery
- Lijian-2: CAS Space model, planning recoverable launch projects in 2026
- Tianlong-3: Space Pioneer model
Dahang Yuetian is currently China's only private rocket company focusing on tower-catch recovery. Its "chopsticks" approach is conceptually similar to SpaceX's launch tower mechanical arm capture scheme. Success would fill the domestic gap in tower-catch recovery technology for commercial rockets.