Industry representatives and experts said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) has the potential to become a bellwether in the application of commercial space technologies — a new battleground for international strategic competition and an emerging driving force for high-quality economic growth.

Expressing hopes for the 11-city cluster to achieve differentiated development alongside the Beijing-led capital economic circle and the Shanghai-led Yangtze River Delta, they advocated further exploration of application scenarios, the cultivation of consumer behaviors, and clearer policy guidance.

For the second consecutive year, the central government pledged to support the commercial space industry in its government work report. Research reports showed that China’s overall market for the commercial space industry was projected to exceed 2.3 trillion yuan ($317 billion) in 2024.

READ MORE: Joint efforts seen as key to growth of China's commercial space sector

During media interviews on the sidelines of the 2025 Commercial Space Conference and Exhibition in Shenzhen, Luo Ge, former deputy head of the China National Space Administration, who is also an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, said that the Greater Bay Area cluster has advantages in terms of the availability of international talent, abundant capital, and policy innovation.

“Although Beijing holds a dominant position in China’s space industry, the Greater Bay Area’s innovative and open atmosphere is more conducive to the development of commercial space. I’m very optimistic about the region’s potential in this field,” he said.

He recommends that the region establish more specific criteria in key areas to accelerate industry development, such as the manufacturing and operation of carrier vehicles, satellites, and the application of space technology and data.

Yang Yiqiang, founder and CEO of CAS Space, a leading commercial spaceflight company headquartered in Guangzhou, highlighted the Greater Bay Area’s comprehensive strengths — from facilities manufacturing to services application — in an interview with China Daily at the same event.

Founded in 2018, CAS Space is dedicated to providing top-tier manufacture and launch services for medium- and large-scale rockets, as well as customized space launches, suborbital scientific experiments and space tourism. During the conference, Yang revealed that the company aims to achieve orbital-level space tourism between 2030 and 2035.

Yang also listed the region’s key players, including Shenzhen Aerospace Donganghong Satellite, known for its consumer-oriented satellite products; Zhuhai-based Aero-Chips, which specializes in aerospace electronics and satellite data; and telecommunication leaders Huawei and ZTE.

Yang said that the Greater Bay Area still lacks concrete direction on how to apply the latest space technologies. He suggested that the region explore the needs of enterprises and individuals to identify the most promising fields for integration.

Yang said that CAS Space plans to set up its overseas headquarters in Hong Kong in the near future, as the city is a hub for exporting services and introducing technologies.

Fu Shanqi, senior market supervisor at Shenzhen MagicCubeSat Technology, which focuses on the design, production, and data services of small satellites, said there is considerable demand from overseas markets, including the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia.

He called for clearer guidance from the authorities on the exporting of products to facilitate companies’ overseas expansion, given the significance of the aerospace industry to national interests.

READ MORE: China's first commercial spacecraft launch site ready for operations

Fu is optimistic about consumers in the Greater Bay Area being ready to adopt aerospace technologies in their daily lives, such as for automobile navigation and aviation communication, which have been widely adopted in developed nations. A pioneering example is Hainan Airlines, which utilizes satellite communication technology to provide chargeable wifi services on its flights.

Fu said that more effort should be made to promote these services to consumers, which would enable more people to enjoy the benefits of such technological advancements.

Given the lengthy investment process and high risks involved in developing aerospace facilities, Fu suggested that the Greater Bay Area should focus on exploring applications for the technologies, in the hope of seeing more representative service providers emerge in the region.
 

Contact the writer at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com