Tag: Long March
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China’s Long March-12 rocket launches new internet satellite group
China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Wednesday from a commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, sending an internet satellite group into space. The rocket lifted off at 10:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) and successfully placed the payload, the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites, into the preset orbit, according…
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China Successfully Launches Shijian-31 Satellite Aboard Long March-3B Rocket
China launched a Long March-3B carrier rocket on Tuesday to place a new satellite, Shijian-31, into space successfully. The rocket blasted off at 5:45 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province. The satellite is mainly used for space environment detection. It was the 651st flight mission of the…
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In a surprise launch, China debuts another big rocket designed for reusability
The race to field China’s first reusable launch vehicle is far less predictable than a similar competition that played out in the United States a decade ago. There was never any real question of which company would develop and demonstrate the first reusable orbital-class rocket in the United States. SpaceX landed a Falcon 9 booster…
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China Launches 18 Qianfan Satellites as Zhuque-2E Returns to Flight
How many Qianfan satellites did China launch in its latest expansion? China successfully deployed 18 new satellites to its Qianfan megaconstellation via Long March 6A, while Landspace returned to flight with its upgraded Zhuque-2E rocket on May 14, 2026. The dual missions mark significant progress for both China’s state broadband constellation program and its commercial…
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China Hits 26 Launches in 2026 with Pakistan EO Satellite Mission
What does China’s latest launch surge tell us about global competition? China executed three separate Long March missions over the weekend, bringing its 2026 total to 26 launches and maintaining the world’s highest annual launch cadence. The most significant payload was Pakistan’s PRSC-EO3 Earth observation satellite, launched via Long March 2D from Jiuquan Satellite Launch…
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Launch Preview: Falcon 9 set to launch two missions from California, Isar to attempt second launch of Spectrum
The upcoming week will see seven rocket launches from six different launch sites across the globe. SpaceX has two Falcon 9 launches scheduled this week; both are Starlink missions launching from SpaceX’s California launch site. Blue Origin is also expected to fly New Shepard’s 17th crewed mission on Thursday. Internationally, China will launch two missions, while…
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Launch Roundup: Shenzhou-22 flies un-crewed to Tiangong, SpaceX launch four Falcon 9 missions
In another busy week of launches, SpaceX launched four Falcon 9 missions — four are Starlink missions; a fifth, the Transporter 15 rideshare mission, was expected but has now been pushed back to next week. Internationally, China has launched three rockets from Jiuquan and Xichang, including an uncrewed mission to the Tiangong space station. The…
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Launch Roundup: Ariane 6 flies, Atlas V and New Glenn both scrub during busy week
This week’s launch manifest featured twelve missions launching on nine different rockets, including the first attempt of the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. This roundup covers an eight-day period, from Monday, Nov. 3, to Monday, Nov. 10. In addition to four Falcon 9 missions from SpaceX, an Ariane 62, New Glenn, Chang…
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Launch Roundup: China to launch crew to Tiangong, India to launch new naval satellite
Six missions comprise the worldwide launch manifest this week, including a crewed launch from China and a new naval satellite for the Indian Navy. SpaceX is set to kick off the week with three back-to-back Starlink missions from its pads in California and Florida. Later in the week, China will launch the crewed Shenzhou 21…
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launches five missions in one week
Following the successful flight of Starship Flight 11 on Monday, SpaceX continued its impressive launch cadence with five Falcon 9 missions in one week: three Starlink missions, one Kuiper mission (weather-delayed from last week), and a mission for the Space Development Agency. Internationally, China has launched four times during the week, and Rocket Lab successfully…