Chinese company Alibaba is reportedly establishing a partnership with a rocket company, with the aim of sending goods around the world in just one hour.
Alibaba Group Holding, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has confirmed a partnership with Space Epoch, a Beijing-based rocket development company, with the aim of revolutionizing global express deliveries.
According to the South China Morning Post, the collaboration aims to ensure the delivery of goods anywhere in the world within just one hour.
The Space Epoch rocket, known as XZY-1, has an impressive capacity: it guarantees a cargo space of up to 120 square meters and the possibility of transporting payloads of up to 10 tons – including massive objects, such as small trucks.
As reported by the press, Alibaba and Space Epoch will soon begin testing rocket delivery services.
At first, many big ventures seem like a joke.
Alibaba told the South China Morning Post.
Space Epoch stressed that achieving the one-hour delivery goal will not be easy in the short term. However, both companies see the partnership as a fundamental experience for the future of global logistics.
To realize the partnership, Alibaba's Taobao will work closely with Space Epoch to carry out the first phases of testing rocket delivery.
The rocket company has gathered substantial support, having secured funding of more than $41.5 million from investors such as GSR Vision Capital and Jinsha Capital.
The United States has already tried a similar approach
Although this partnership is interesting, it is important to note that the concept of rocket-based deliveries is not entirely new.
After all, the United States Air Force has previously explored similar concepts. For example, in partnership with SpaceX, for the rapid delivery of global merchandise, through the company's Starship, in 2020.
