Tag: Space Pioneer
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China Debuts Two Commercial Launchers, Tests Orbital Servicing
What are China’s latest commercial space milestones in April 2026? China’s commercial space sector achieved two major launcher debuts within days of each other in early April 2026, with CAS Space and Space Pioneer both conducting successful inaugural flights of new vehicles. CAS Space’s Kinetica-1 solid rocket delivered multiple payloads to Low Earth Orbit (LEO)…
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China debuts new launchers, tests orbital servicing and outlines future deep-space missions
CAS Space and Space Pioneer have both debuted new Chinese commercial launchers within days of each other, with more set to follow. Meanwhile, China conducted its first commercial demonstration of a robotic arm designed for in-space refueling, and outlined plans for future deep-space missions, including an asteroid redirection test and updated details of its crewed…
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Launch Preview: SLS, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Soyuz launches comprise busy launch manifest
Nine launches are scheduled this week, with rockets expected to liftoff from Florida, California, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China. Most notably, NASA’s long-awaited Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch the first humans to the Moon in over 50 years on Wednesday. SpaceX has four Starlink missions scheduled for the week, with Falcon 9 launching two…
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China Launches Algeria Earth-Observation Satellite From Jiuquan
Galactic Energy carried out the first private space mission in China in 2026 on Friday, successfully launching its Ceres-1 carrier rocket from a sea-based platform and placing four commercial satellites into orbit, the company said. The solid-fuel rocket lifted off at 4:10 a.m. from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea, off China’s eastern…
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China prepares to launch uncrewed Shenzhou as maiden launches slip for commercial launch providers
China is preparing to launch an uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft as its astronauts shuffle missions following damage to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, while the Tiangong station prepares to greet its first international visitor in 2026. Meanwhile, commercial launch providers continue to make progress toward maiden launches, though a number have slipped into early next year. Furthermore, a…
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Surge in static fires as China’s space sector gains momentum
As China’s launch cadence continues to accelerate, so too has the pace of engine testing in recent weeks. A growing number of commercial launch providers are edging closer to the maiden flights of new vehicles — several of which are still on track to debut before the end of the year. Meanwhile, taikonauts aboard the…
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China’s Sepoch Completes Vertical Liftoff and Splashdown Test for Reusable Rocket
Chinese commercial rocket firm Sepoch has successfully conducted a vertical takeoff and soft splashdown test of its Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1), a key milestone ahead of a potential orbital launch of the reusable vehicle later this year. The verification rocket lifted off from an elevated platform at the Haiyang spaceport in Shandong province at 4:40 p.m. Eastern…
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China launches three taikonauts to Tiangong, commercial sector continues to expand
China has launched its ninth crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the launch of Dongfanghong-1, the country’s first satellite. Meanwhile, China has achieved the world’s first network of satellites using a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) in Earth-Moon space, with its DRO-B satellite completing a final manoeuver this month.…
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Chang Zheng 12, ZhuQue-2E fly maiden missions; Hainan spaceport and mega constellations expand
In late November, two new Chinese rockets took their maiden flights within four days of each other, with the Chang Zheng 12 and Landspace’s enhanced ZhuQue-2E successfully completing their missions. This week saw the first launch of the Chang Zheng 5B heavy-lift vehicle in over two years, carrying an initial batch of satellites for another…
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China Launches Fifth High-Resolution Gaofen-11 Satellite
China successfully launched its fifth Gaofen-11 high-resolution satellite, adding to its China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS) constellation. The launch occurred late Thursday via a Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China. The rocket lifted off at 11:03 p.m. Eastern on July 18 (0303 UTC, July 19), carrying the Gaofen-11…