China launches communications test satellite
China early this morning successfully launched another communications test satellite. its Long March 3C rocket lifting off from its Xichang spaceport in southwest China.
China’s state-run press as always released little information. All we really know is that this launch has been part of a series of recent launches putting similar communications test satellites into orbit. We also don’t know where the rocket’s lower stages, which use very toxic hypergolic fuels, crashed inside China.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
57 SpaceX
25 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 57 to 42.
China early this morning successfully launched another communications test satellite. its Long March 3C rocket lifting off from its Xichang spaceport in southwest China.
China’s state-run press as always released little information. All we really know is that this launch has been part of a series of recent launches putting similar communications test satellites into orbit. We also don’t know where the rocket’s lower stages, which use very toxic hypergolic fuels, crashed inside China.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
57 SpaceX
25 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 57 to 42.