China’s Ambitious Space Carrier Project Signals New Era of Orbital Competition

China has unveiled plans for an integrated air and space defense system called “Nantianmen” (“Heavenly Gate”), featuring a massive flying aircraft carrier that would dwarf any existing warship. The proposed vessel, named Luanniao, would measure 242 meters (794 feet) in length with a 684-meter wingspan and reportedly weigh up to 120,000 tons at takeoff.

According to Chinese state media, this colossal carrier would serve as a platform for launching unmanned space fighters, called Xuannu, capable of deploying hypersonic missiles against targets both in Earth’s atmosphere and orbit.

“China has long been number two in space — behind the United States, but well ahead of Europe,” said Juliana Süß, space security expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), in an interview. She noted that Beijing has invested “extremely large sums of money” in space technology, which plays both a prestige role for leadership and is “extremely important for military capabilities.”

By weight alone, the proposed space carrier would exceed the largest existing aircraft carriers by approximately 20%. While shorter in length than vessels like the USS Gerald R. Ford (which measures 337 meters), the Luanniao’s wingspan would be dramatically broader than conventional maritime carriers. For comparison, the USS Gerald R. Ford weighs approximately 100,000 tons when fully loaded with fuel, crew, and equipment.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV featured the announced carrier in its military program “Lijian,” displaying a photorealistic 3D model hovering above Earth, releasing space jets and firing weapons in outer space. This visualization has since circulated widely on social media platforms and video-sharing sites.

However, aerospace experts have expressed significant skepticism about the technical feasibility of such an ambitious project. The proposed carrier far exceeds what current rocket technology could realistically launch into orbit. Even if modular assembly in space were theoretically possible, numerous obstacles remain, including power supply, propulsion, cooling, protection from space debris, and enormous cost considerations.

“From today’s perspective, the project is completely unrealistic,” said German diplomat and space analyst Heinrich Kreft. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that technological advancement often transforms science fiction into reality, noting that “many things that were science fiction 20 or 30 years ago are real today.”

The announcement places China alongside private-sector space visionaries like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who have promoted ambitious plans for lunar and Martian colonization.

American analysts likewise interpret the Luanniao announcement more as a strategic signal than an actual construction blueprint. The National Interest published an article titled “Beijing Wants You to Believe It’s Building Flying Aircraft Carriers,” with author Brandon J. Weichert describing the vision as part of a “wider propaganda push” designed to make Western powers nervous and potentially waste resources.

Kreft sees the announcement as a deliberately placed message in the ongoing power competition with the United States, particularly against the backdrop of tensions over Taiwan. “This sounds as if China has put something out into the world with Taiwan very much in mind, in order to leave a marker,” he said.

The space carrier proposal follows a pattern of spectacular Chinese “superweapon” announcements that Western experts often classify as unrealistic but which contribute to a strategic narrative of technological superiority and deterrence.

SWP expert Süß places the project in a broader security context, viewing such initiatives “more through a deterrence lens” aimed at “demonstrating strength and projecting power across multiple domains.” She interprets the presentation partly as China’s response to U.S. missile defense initiatives in space, such as the “Golden Dome” concept proposed during the Trump administration.

“What is crucial for successful deterrence is above all credibility,” Süß noted. “To what extent such an ambitious and oversized project as this space carrier is actually credible is an entirely different question.”

The Luanniao concept operates in this strategic gray zone—an outsized threat with political utility that precedes any actual construction. Kreft describes the project as “psychological warfare” while cautioning against dismissing China’s technological ambitions entirely. Beijing, he warns, is advancing “on all conceivable future projects and weapons systems,” including laser technology where China “appears to be further ahead than anyone else.”