SpaceX pioneered reusable rockets for space haulage but China’s Long March 10B is hot on Falcon 9’s trail

Surveying China’s entire space industry, current conditions look remarkably similar to the state of the electric vehicle sector nearly a decade ago. Then, as now, Musk seemed to be in a race with himself, rather than foreign competitors. Back in 2017, Tesla’s breakthrough Model 3 was embroiled in “production hell” as it ramped up output. The episode pushed the company to the edge of bankruptcy, but ultimately allowed it to capture more than half the value in the global auto industry.