A Tianjin aerospace firm's homegrown carbon fiber composite payload fairings cut rocket weight by over 20 percent, delivering a game-changing Chinese solution that now serves more than 90 percent of China's domestic commercial launch vehicles and fuels the fast growth of global commercial spaceflight.

"We pioneered an integrated product team R&D model that unites design, material research, and manufacturing teams to speed up iterative upgrades," Zhang Yi, chairman and CTO of iStar, said, explaining the core technical breakthrough.

"This collaborative innovation system bridges basic research, engineering trials, and mass production, offering a replicable development path for commercial aerospace worldwide," Zhang said.

Headquartered in Dongli district, Tianjin iStar-space Technology Co specializes in integrated design, research, and manufacturing of lightweight aerospace composite structures. Its fairings shield satellites from extreme heat above 1,000 C, violent vibration, and aerodynamic noise during atmospheric ascent before jettisoning at high altitude.

The lightweight material slashes overall rocket mass. With identical thrust, carriers can lift more payloads into orbit, a core competitive edge amid surging demand for diversified commercial launch missions.

The synergy resolves long-standing bottlenecks balancing low density, high strength, and heat resistance. The composite material weighs just one-fifth of conventional metal while matching steel's structural rigidity.

Founded in 2018, the national-level "Little Giant" firm has supported 45 successful commercial orbital missions, including the June 15 launch of the Lijian-1 Y14 rocket, which carried eight satellites. It remains China's top-tier private enterprise capable of stable mass delivery of composite fairings for repeated orbital flights.

The firm can mass-produce fairings ranging from 1.2 to 4.2 meters in diameter, with a 5.2-meter ultra-large prototype undergoing full testing. Its product lineup covers fairings, satellite adapters, and multi-functional thermal insulation parts.

Young talent underpins its innovation momentum. The average age of iStar's core R&D team stands at 32. The company partners with Tianjin University, National University of Defense Technology, and other top institutes to jointly research key material technologies.

Yang Shenyuan, director of Dongli district bureau of industry and information technology, highlighted the firm's role as an industrial pacesetter. "iStar anchors our booming aerospace industrial chain, which posts double-digit annual output growth."

Six key advanced manufacturing chains account for 90 percent of Dongli's industrial output, with tailored policy support and university-industry platforms accelerating commercialization of space technologies.

Zhang urged further policy backing to foster a diversified commercial space ecosystem, enabling private players to complement State-owned aerospace teams and strengthen China's global space competitiveness.

Xu Xinran contributed to this story.