China's New Long March 9 Rocket Raises Eyebrows with Starship Similarities

The design of China's latest rocket closely mirrors SpaceX's Starship, highlighting a strategic shift towards reusable space technology.

China's Long March 9 rocket concept features a two-stage, fully reusable design similar to SpaceX's Starship.
The rocket will have 30 methane and liquid oxygen engines, comparable to Starship's 33 Raptor engines.
China aims to launch the Long March 9 by 2033, as part of its lunar exploration plans.
Chinese space companies have previously been noted for emulating SpaceX's designs, including Cosmoleap and Space Pioneer.
Both China and the US are in a race to develop reusable rockets for sustainable lunar exploration.