x.com/JK_Lundblad/status/2089928304908177429
1 correction found
Years before China was even discussing reusable rockets
This is incorrect: Chinese officials were publicly discussing reusable carrier rockets in 2004, well before Musk’s December 30, 2011 tweet.
Full reasoning
The post ties Musk’s quoted remark to 2011, but the claim that this was made "years before China was even discussing reusable rockets" is contradicted by earlier public Chinese reporting.
A People’s Daily / China.org.cn report from April 29, 2004 described China’s space-transport roadmap and explicitly said "China will make innovative efforts on some reusable carrier rockets, spacecrafts and air-land transportation system." That is more than seven years before Musk’s December 30, 2011 tweet.
A related People’s Daily Online page from May 1, 2004 likewise summarized that China had already laid out a three-step plan for its space transportation system, including an "innovative space transportation system." Even without relying on inference, the 2004 China.org/People’s Daily report directly shows that reusable rockets were already being publicly discussed long before 2011.
So the post overstates Musk’s lead here: China was not silent on reusable launch concepts until after 2011.
2 sources
- China's Space Transportation System
Published April 29, 2004. The report says: "China will make innovative efforts on some reusable carrier rockets, spacecrafts and air-land transportation system." It attributes the roadmap to Long Lehao at a 2004 Beijing seminar.
- People's Daily Online -- Moon probe to blast off in 3 years
Updated May 1, 2004. People's Daily Online says China had already laid out a three-step space transportation plan in 2004, including "an innovative space transportation system" as the third step.