China launches classified satellite
China early today successfully launched a geosynchronous classified satellite, its Long March 7A rocket lifting off from its coastal Wenchang spaceport.
China’s state-run press only said that the satellite was to provide “data relay and TT&C (telemetry, tracking, and command) services for crewed spacecraft such as spaceships, space laboratories and space stations, as well as for medium- and low-Earth-orbit resource satellites.” According to this western report, however, it was more likely a military reconnaissance satellite, though it could also include a secondary inspector satellite designed rendezvous and spy on other satellites, and even act to destroy those satellites.
As has become routine for many launches from Wenchang, the rocket’s lower stages landed in the territorial waters of the Philippines, less than 100 miles off the north coast of its largest island, Luzon, forcing the Philippines to issue a warning to its citizens.
The leaders in the 2026 launch race:
90 SpaceX
49 China
10 Rocket Lab (plus two suborbital HASTE launches)
10 Russia
For the third straight year SpaceX leads the entire world combined in total launches, 90 to 84.
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China involved here?
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-massive-quantities-undeclared-uranium-exported.html
Iran may not be where to focus after all