Overview
- A Long March 7A launched from Wenchang on Dec. 30/31 carrying Shijian-29 A and B, with CASC confirming success and analysts indicating a likely geostationary transfer trajectory pending tracking.
- CASC identified Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology as the builder of Shijian-29A, while the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Microsat provided Shijian-29B.
- Hours earlier, a Long March 4B from Jiuquan placed Tianhui-7 into a 485-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit for high-resolution mapping, with CAST targeting world-class imaging performance.
- The back-to-back missions brought China’s 2025 total to 92 orbital launches and helped push global attempts past 320 for a new annual record.
- Separately, China Rocket said it aims to debut a reusable Long March 10-derived launcher in the first half of 2026 to support higher-cadence constellation deployments.