BEIJING, July 10 — Wang Xiaojun, a senior engineer at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, is overseeing a team of 500 engineers working on the Long March 10B program, a project that Wang has described as a “critical step” toward China’s goal of a fully reusable rocket fleet by 2030. The aerospace engineer, who was born in Beijing in 1975, has spent the bulk of his career at CALT, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
He joined the academy in 1999, a year after graduating from Beihang University with a degree in aerospace engineering. According to his biography, Wang worked on both the Long March 5 and Long March 7 programs, each of which first launched in 2016.
In 2020, Wang was appointed project manager for the Long March 10B program. His mandate includes overseeing the development of the rocket’s reusable first-stage technology. Wang has published 15 papers on rocket reusability in Chinese journals, including Acta Astronautica Sinica.
His work on grid fin and landing leg systems was tested on the Long March 8R rocket in 2022 and 2023, according to reports. Wang received the State Science and Technology Progress Award (Second Class) in 2022 for his contributions to China’s launch vehicle development.
A career shaped by China’s rocket evolution
Wang’s career trajectory mirrors the arc of China’s modern space program. When he joined CALT in 1999, the academy was still working on the Long March 2 and 3 series. The Long March 5, which Wang later worked on, represented a generational leap — a heavy-lift vehicle capable of carrying modules for China’s space station and deep-space probes.
The Long March 7, meanwhile, was designed as a medium-lift workhorse for cargo resupply missions. The Long March 10B program, which Wang now leads, is a different kind of undertaking.
The rocket is being designed with a reusable first stage that can land vertically after launch. Wang’s team has focused on integrating the grid fin and landing leg systems that were first tested on the Long March 8R. Wang has stated in interviews that the Long March 10B’s success is a “critical step” toward China’s goal of a fully reusable rocket fleet by 2030.
Regional context and broader ambitions
For observers in the region, China’s push for reusable rockets is not merely a technological curiosity. It carries strategic implications. The ability to launch frequently and at lower cost could expand China’s capacity for satellite deployment, space station resupply, and — potentially — military space operations.
Beijing has consistently framed its space program as peaceful, but the dual-use nature of launch technology is well understood across capitals in Tehran, Tokyo, and beyond. Iran, which has its own satellite launch programs, has watched China’s advances with interest.
While there is no evidence of direct technology transfer between Wang’s team and Iranian institutions, the broader trend of Chinese aerospace maturation has reshaped calculations in the region. A fully reusable Chinese rocket fleet by 2030, if realized, would mark a significant shift in the global launch market. Wang resides in Beijing with his wife and two children.
He has not given extensive interviews to foreign media, but his published remarks in Chinese outlets suggest a focused, long-term outlook. His team of 500 engineers works out of CALT’s main facility in Beijing, where the Long March 10B’s first-stage components are being assembled and tested.
The program has not yet announced a target date for its first test flight. But given the pace of testing on the Long March 8R in 2022-2023, and the stated 2030 deadline for full reusability, analysts expect a demonstration launch within the next two to three years. For now, Wang and his engineers continue their work, one grid fin and landing leg at a time.
