Amman – The Chinese rocket manufacturer Space Epoch announced on Sunday that it is working with Alibaba’s Taobao online shopping platform to manufacture reusable rockets for high-speed deliveries that could reach their payloads to places in the world in one hour.
The company said in a notice published on its official account on the WeChat social media platform that the project is in the early experimental stages and aims to develop a missile that can carry up to ten tons of goods in a container with a capacity of 120 cubic meters. Alibaba has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Beijing-based Space Epoch is looking to use its Yuancheng-1 rocket, which last year completed tests designed to measure engine combustion and recover it from areas over the sea.
The company will conduct tests on using the missiles in delivery services in the near future, but indicated that achieving its goals will not be easy in the short term.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for expanding strategic sectors, including the commercial space sector, which is considered essential for building constellations of communications, remote sensing and navigation satellites.
Space Epoch secured 200 million yuan (US$27.70 million) in a third financing round in November.
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