When Chinese space officials unveiled the design for the country's first super heavy lift rocket nearly a decade ago, it looked like a fairly conventional booster. The rocket was fully expendable, with three stages and solid motors strapped onto its sides.

The startup, Cosmoleap, also aims to build a rocket larger than Starship, the world's most powerful launch system.

The Long March 9 super heavy-lift rocket made an appearance at a major airshow recently—and looks awfully familiar.