Mission Would Mark the First Monkey in Space in 13 Years and Advance Commercial Manned Spaceflight Capabilities
WUXI, China — August 25, 2026 — Deep Blue Aerospace (Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd.), a leading Chinese commercial space company focused on reusable launch vehicles, today announced plans to send a monkey named “Wukong” into space. The mission is intended to test and validate spacecraft life support and environmental control systems under real flight conditions.
In a statement posted today on the company’s official X account (@dbaspace_), Deep Blue Aerospace said:
“Currently, we are planning to send the monkey ‘Wukong’ into space, primarily for testing and verifying the spacecraft’s life support and environmental control systems under actual flight conditions, thereby accumulating important technical data and practical experience for future commercial manned space missions.
If successfully implemented, this will represent an important exploration for us in life-science related research, space environmental control technology, and the field of commercial manned spaceflight.
From reusable rockets to commercial manned spaceflight and space travel, we are continuously expanding the boundaries of China’s commercial space industry and accelerating toward a new stage of development.”
If carried out as planned, the flight would mark the first time a monkey has been sent into space in 13 years. The last confirmed primate spaceflights involving monkeys took place in 2013, when Iran successfully launched and recovered rhesus macaques on two separate suborbital missions. Data gathered from Wukong’s journey is expected to support Deep Blue Aerospace’s longer-term goals of safe, reliable commercial crew transportation and space tourism.
Deep Blue Aerospace is developing the Nebula series of partially reusable rockets and associated engines. The company has stated its ambition to expand from reusable launch capabilities into commercial manned spaceflight and space travel.
Further details on the mission timeline, vehicle, and recovery plans will be released as preparations advance.
About Deep Blue Aerospace
Deep Blue Aerospace is a private Chinese aerospace company headquartered in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. Founded in 2016, it specializes in the research, development, production, and commercial launch services of liquid-propellant reusable rockets, with the goal of lowering the cost of access to space.