Long March, expendable launch systems, China

[Administrator]

Long March-3C launches TJSW-19

May 12, 2025

A Long March-3C launch vehicle launched TJSW-19 (通信技术试验卫星十九号, Communication Technology Test Satellite 19) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 12 May 2025, at 18:09 UTC (13 May, at 02:09 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the planned orbit and will be “mainly used to verify multi-band and high-speed satellite communication technology”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches “Space Computing Satellite Constellation”

May 14, 2025

A Long March-2D launch vehicle launched 12 satellites for the “Space Computing Satellite Constellation” (太空计算卫星星座), part of the “Satellite Computing” (星算) program, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, on 14 May 2025, at 04:12 UTC (12:12 local time). According to official sources, the program is “designed to host thousands of satellites with a total computing power of 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS) upon completion”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-7A launches ZhongXing-3B (ChinaSat-3B)

May 20, 2025

A Long March-7A launch vehicle (长征七号A) launched the ZhongXing-3B communications satellite (中星3B, also known as ChinaSat-3B) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site Hainan Province, China, on 20 May 2025, at 11:50 UTC (19:50 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the planned orbit and “will provide voice, data, radio and television transmission services”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-4B launches Shijian-26

May 29, 2025

A Long March-4B launch vehicle launched the Shijian-26 satellite (实践二十六号卫星) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, on 29 May 2025, at 04:12 UTC (12:12 local time). According to official sources, “the satellite is mainly used for national land surveys, environmental management and other fields, providing information services to support national economic development”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-2D launches China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite 02 (ZhangHeng-1 02)

Jun 14, 2025

A Long March-2D launch vehicle launched the second China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (张衡一号”02星, ZhangHeng-1 02) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, on 14 June 2025, at 07:56 UTC (15:56 local time). According to official sources, the satellite was named after the ancient Chinese inventor Zhang Heng and “will carry out quasi-real-time monitoring of global electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere, detecting electromagnetic anomalies caused by geological and human activities, as well as monitoring thunderstorm and lightning activity”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-3B launches ZhongXing-9C (ChinaSat-9C)

Jun 20, 2025

A Long March-3B rocket launched the ZhongXing-9C satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 20 June 2025, at 12:37 UTC (20:37 local time). ZhongXing-9C (中星9C, also known as ChinaSat-9C) is a 5.5 ton satellite designed to provide communications services for live television broadcasts for 15 years.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-4C launches Shiyan-28B 01

Jul 3, 2025

A Long March-4C launch vehicle launched the Shiyan-28B 01 satellite (试验二十八号B星01星) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 3 July 2025, at 09:35 UTC (17:35 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the desired orbit and “will be mainly used for space environment detection and related technical experiments”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-10 - first stage hot fire test

Aug 16, 2025

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), a hot fire test of the first stage of the Long March-10 launch vehicle was successfully conducted at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, Hainan Province, China, on 15 August 2025, at 07:00 UTC (15:00 local time). During the test, the seven YF-100K 130-ton reusable liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket engines “were ignited simultaneously, followed by the completion of multiple scheduled test procedures”. The Long March-10 rocket (长征十) is considered a “new generation crewed launch vehicle” designed for human lunar missions.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-4C launches Shiyan-28B 02

Aug 17, 2025

A Long March-4C launch vehicle launched the Shiyan-28B 02 satellite (试验二十八号B星02星) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 17 August 2025, at 08:55 UTC (16:55 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the desired orbit and “will be mainly used for space environment exploration and related technology tests”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-3C launches Shiyan-29

Sep 5, 2025

A Long March-3C launch vehicle (长征三号丙运载火箭), with a Yuanzheng-1 (远征一号上面级, Expedition-1) upper stage, launched the Shiyan-29 satellite (试验二十九号) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, China, on 5 September 2025, at 02:34 UTC (10:34 local time). According to official sources, the satellite was developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS) and uses the SECM3000 satellite platform. Shiyan-29 entered the desired orbit and “will be mainly used for space environment detection and related technical tests”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-6A launches Yaogan-40 03

Sep 6, 2025

A Long March-6A launch vehicle launched Yaogan-40 03 (遥感四十号03组卫星), the third group of Yaogan-40 remote-sensing satellites, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, Shanxi Province, China, on 6 September 2025, at 16:34 UTC (7 September, 00:34 local time). According to official sources, the satellites entered the preset orbits and “will be used to carry out electromagnetic environment detection and related technical tests”.

 

[Administrator]

Long March-7A launches Yaogan-45

Sep 9, 2025

A Long March-7A launch vehicle (长征七号A) launched the Yaogan-45 remote sensing satellite (遥感四十五号卫星) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site Hainan Province, China, on 9 September 2025, at 02:00 UTC (10:00 local time). According to official sources, the satellite entered the planned orbit and “will be mainly used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, crop yield estimates, and disaster prevention and relief work”.