Overview
- A Long March 4B from Jiuquan deployed the Tianhui-7 mapping satellite into a roughly 485-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, with CAST saying its core payload aims for world-class resolution and precision.
- A Long March 7A from Wenchang lifted Shijian-29 A and B to test space-target detection technologies, with the pair likely headed for geostationary transfer orbit based on airspace notices and vehicle selection.
- CASC said Shijian-29 A was built by SAST and Shijian-29 B by Microsat under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
- China’s 92 orbital attempts in 2025 far exceeded last year’s 68, driven in part by Guowang and other constellation launches and by expanded operations at Hainan and Jiuquan.
- Global launch attempts topped 320 for a fifth straight annual record, while China recorded two failures this year—Landspace’s Zhuque-2E and Galactic Energy’s Ceres-1—and advanced reusable-rocket work ahead of 2026 tests.