This project featured a full-bodied integrated artistic transformation of a near-50m launch vehicle (All photos: LandSpace and Jacky Tsai)
The month of May saw the successful launch of the ZQ-2E Y2 (Zhuque 2 Enhanced, Flight 2) rocket by LandSpace, the commercial space launch provider headquartered in Beijing, China. Founded in 2015 by Zhang Changwu, the company is often thought of as the Chinese equivalent of Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, although it scored a coup two years ago by being the first in the world to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket. What sets this event apart is that, for the first time in history, an entire orbital rocket has been conceived as a complete work of art — and successfully set in motion.
The ZQ-2E Y2 bore original artwork by renowned contemporary artist Jacky Tsai, famously sought after for his works that are rich in Chinese cultural symbolism and pop art aesthetics. Unlike other past aeronautical dabbles with art, via symbolic decorations or partial decals, this project featured a full-bodied integrated artistic transformation of a near-50m launch vehicle. Drawing inspiration from the ancient legend of Chang’e, a beautiful maiden who, after taking the elixir of immortality, become the Moon Goddess and symbol of the annual mid-autumn festival, Tsai reimagined the fairy tale using his trademark boldness and vibrancy. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said the artist, who worked closely with engineers to apply aerospace-grade paint using advanced production methods to ensure the artwork remained vivid and intact despite the extreme launch conditions.
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Tsai also makes history by being the first artist to have his work successfully go beyond the Kármán line — the 100km altitude that delineates the different spatial fields of the Earth and outer space. Interestingly, another renowned artist Xu Bing had his work adorn a rocket by i-space, another privately owned Chinese space rocket company. Alas, the launch in February 2021 was not successful.
The ZQ-2E Y2’s blast off took place at 12:12pm (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, one of the country’s four spaceports and part of Dongfeng Space City, with security, naturally, at the highest levels.
Tsai is no stranger to adorning various vehicles, having done the hull artwork for the Genting Dream cruise ship in 2016, followed by World Dream a year later. In 2019, he also created tiger-themed external livery for two carriages of the Eastern & Oriental express train. “I always thought the next chapter would be an airplane. Who would have guessed — or dreamed — that it would be an actual space rocket? This is a most extraordinary experience for me and one of the most emotional moments in my entire career. After all, which boy has not imagined himself as an explorer or space traveller? I love sci-fi movies myself and had sometimes imagined painting a UFO, or something crazy like that. It is nice to think that as space travel becomes part of normal life in the not-so-distant future, I can look back and say I left a little mark in history and the annals of space travel.”
This article first appeared on June 9, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
