Overview
- The program proposes a superconducting magnetic-levitation track that would electrically accelerate rockets to supersonic speed before engine ignition, moving part of the launch energy from onboard propellant to ground systems.
- Reporting says engineers ran a successful 2025 test campaign and conducted follow-up 2026 trials that verified elements such as electromagnetic propulsion control and high-temperature superconducting navigation.
- Researchers and the Ziyang institute are weighing high-altitude sites like the Tibetan Plateau to reduce air drag and pairing the system with China’s low-carbon grid to store and supply the large burst power needed for launches.
- Major engineering hurdles remain extensive and concrete: building many kilometres of precisely aligned superconducting track, delivering extreme short-duration electrical power and storage, designing rockets that survive high pre-ignition acceleration, and implementing ultra-precise guidance and thermal control.
- Proponents say the concept could raise payload and launch cadence and in theory cut costs sharply, but those economic claims are speculative until full-scale demonstrations and independent verification are completed.