Tag: Long March 2C

China today successfully launched a satellite for testing “satellite internet technology”, its Long March 2C rocket lifting off from its Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China.

Its state-run press provided no other information about the satellite. Nor did it provide any information about where the rocket’s lower stages — which use toxic hypergolic fuels — crashed inside China.

The leaders in the 2025 launch race:

118 SpaceX
54 China
13 Russia
12 Rocket Lab

SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 118 to 93.

China today successfully launched what it called an “experimental” satellite designed to “monitor the space environment”, its Long March 2C rocket lifting off from its Jiuquan spaceport in the northwest of China.

The state-run press provided no other information. Nor did it tell us where the rocket’s lower stages, which use toxic hypergolic fuels, crashed inside China.

The leaders in the 2024 launch race:

49 SpaceX
21 China
6 Russia
5 Rocket Lab

American private enterprise still leads the world combined in successful launches, 56 to 33. SpaceX by itself now leads the rest of the world, including other American companies, 49 to 40.

A Chinese Long March 2C launch yesterday, lifting off from the Xichang spaceport in the southwest of China, failed to put its payload of two satellites into their proper orbit.

According to China’s state-run press, the third stage of the rocket “encountered an abnormality during flight.” It provided practically no other information, including whether the satellites even made orbit at all.

UPDATE: In December 2024 one of my readers informed me that the satellites were eventually able to reach their proper orbits, using their attitude thrusters. Thus this launch has been changed to a success.

China today used its Long March 2C rocket to place what it called a “disaster reduction” satellite into orbit, launching from its Taiyuan spaceport in the interior of China.

No other information was released, including whether the rocket’s lower stages landed near habitable areas.

The leaders in the 2023 launch race:

54 SpaceX
32 China
10 Russia
6 Rocket Lab
6 India

American private enterprise still leads China in successful launches 62 to 32, and the entire world combined 62 to 53, while SpaceX by itself still leads the world (excluding American companies) 54 to 53.

According to China’s state-run press, it used its Long March 2C rocket to launch a satellite to test “internet technologies” today, lifting off from its interior Jiuquan spaceport in the northwest of China.

This is all that press told us. Nor did it say where the rocket’s first stage crashed in China, whether it used parachutes to control its descent, or whether it came down uncontrolled near habitable territories.

The leaders in the 2023 launch race:

45 SpaceX (with a planned Starlink launch tonight)
25 China
9 Russia
5 Rocket Lab

American private enterprise still leads China in launches 51 to 25, and the entire world combined 51 to 43, with SpaceX by itself leading the rest of the world, excluding American companies, 45 to 43.

From one of its interior spaceports China today successfully launched a classified “remote sensing” satellite using its Long March 2C rocket.

No information about the payload was released by China, not even a satellite name. Nor was there any word on whether the expendable first stage landed near habitable areas.

The 2023 launch race:

12 SpaceX
7 China
3 Russia
1 Rocket Lab
1 Japan
1 India

American private enterprise still leads China 13 to 7 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 13 to 12. SpaceX on its own is now tied with the entire world 12 to 12.

Using its Long March 2C rocket, China today successfully launched a new Earth observation radar satellite.

As is usual for Chinese launches from interior spaceports, the rocket dumped its lower stages somewhere within China.

The leaders in the 2022 launch race:

46 SpaceX
44 China
14 Russia
8 Rocket Lab
7 ULA

American private enterprise still leads China 66 to 44 in the national rankings. It is now tied with the entire world combined 66 each.

China today successfully used its Long March 2C rocket to put two Earth observation satellites into orbit.

The leaders in the 2022 launch race:

30 SpaceX
23 China
9 Russia
5 Rocket Lab
4 ULA

American private enterprise still leads China 43 to 23 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 43 to 39.

China today used its Long March 2C rocket to launch the first nine satellites in a commercial data collection constellation.

Owned by GeeSpace, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group, the satellite constellation will be mainly used to research and validate technologies, such as travel services of intelligent connected vehicles, and vehicle/mobile phone and satellite interaction. It will also provide data support for marine environmental protection.

The leaders in the 2022 launch race:

22 SpaceX
17 China
7 Russia
3 Rocket Lab
3 ULA

The U.S. still leads China 31 to 17 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 31 to 27.

China today successfully launched three satellites of unexplained purpose using its Long March 2C rocket.

The leaders in the 2022 launch race:

21 SpaceX
16 China
7 Russia
3 Rocket Lab
3 ULA

The U.S. still leads China 30 to 16 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 30 to 26.

China today successfully launched six communication satellites and one remote sensing satellite using its Long March 2C rocket lifting off from its Xichang spaceport inside the Chinese interior.

No word on if the first stage crashed near habitable area, or whether it carried grid fins or parachutes to better control where it crashed.

The leaders in the 2022 launch race:

9 SpaceX
5 China
2 Russia
2 ULA

The U.S. now leads China 14 to 5 in the national rankings.