Two launches from China, one of which failed
China today attempted two different launches from two different launch sites, with one launch succeeding and a second failing.
First, China placed the thirteeenth set of Guowang internet satellites into orbit, its Long March 12 rocket lifting off from the Wenchang coastal spaceport. China’s state-run press did not reveal the number of satellites, though based on past launches of this constellation using this rocket the count was likely nine, which means this constellation now has about 105 satellites in orbit, out of a planned 13,000.
The rocket’s flight plan had its lower stages coming down near the Philippines, which caused that government to warn its citizens to avoid the drop zones, something it appears it has to do now for practically every launch from Wenchang.
Next, a launch of the Chinese pseudo-company’s Ceres-1 solid-fueled rocket failed during a launch from the Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China. China’s state-run pressed released no details about the failure, such as when it occurred or if the failed rocket crashed inside China.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
146 SpaceX
68 China (a new record)
14 Rocket Lab
13 Russia
SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 146 to 115.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
China today attempted two different launches from two different launch sites, with one launch succeeding and a second failing.
First, China placed the thirteeenth set of Guowang internet satellites into orbit, its Long March 12 rocket lifting off from the Wenchang coastal spaceport. China’s state-run press did not reveal the number of satellites, though based on past launches of this constellation using this rocket the count was likely nine, which means this constellation now has about 105 satellites in orbit, out of a planned 13,000.
The rocket’s flight plan had its lower stages coming down near the Philippines, which caused that government to warn its citizens to avoid the drop zones, something it appears it has to do now for practically every launch from Wenchang.
Next, a launch of the Chinese pseudo-company’s Ceres-1 solid-fueled rocket failed during a launch from the Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China. China’s state-run pressed released no details about the failure, such as when it occurred or if the failed rocket crashed inside China.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
146 SpaceX
68 China (a new record)
14 Rocket Lab
13 Russia
SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 146 to 115.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News


BZ,
Not to nitpick.
Me thinks the China number is off.
To date, China has 70 successful and 3 failures.