ISRO losing to China in rocket race? Sea landings and cargo plans raise alarm

Can India keep up as China lands reusable rockets at sea and startups shift launches to SpaceX?

In a detailed post, finfluencer Jayant Mundhra raised concern over how this shift is reshaping the commercial space landscape. “These aren’t theoretical projects,” he wrote. 

“Chinese companies have already demonstrated sea and land-based recoveries and are now raising funds on promises of ultra-fast logistics using reusable rockets.”

Mundhra pointed out that while the U.S. leads with operational VTVL (Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing) rockets and even Japan’s Honda has recently tested a reusable model, India is still in the experimental phase. 

ISRO’s "Pushpak" spaceplane has completed successful landing trials, but the winged design is unrelated to the VTVL systems dominating the global market.

More critically, he noted the commercial consequences: Indian startups like Pixxel, Digantara, and XDLINX have opted to launch their satellites aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9. 

“The rideshare model is effectively a bus to orbit,” Mundhra wrote, emphasizing the appeal of cost-efficient and frequent launches—something the Indian launch ecosystem cannot currently match.

While ISRO is developing a Next-Generation Launch Vehicle incorporating VTVL capabilities, Mundhra noted that it remains several years from operational status. “In this race, speed is the only metric that matters,” he added.

The core of Mundhra’s concern: India is not short on capability or ambition—but global competitors, especially China, are executing faster, commercializing sooner, and attracting the very space-tech companies that once might have launched from Indian soil.