In late November, two new Chinese rockets took their maiden flights within four days of each other, with the Chang Zheng 12 and Landspace’s enhanced ZhuQue-2E successfully completing their missions.
This week saw the first launch of the Chang Zheng 5B heavy-lift vehicle in over two years, carrying an initial batch of satellites for another Chinese mega constellation. Meanwhile, construction continues in Hainan, shifting focus from its two commercial launch pads to a new satellite manufacturing facility and plans for an offshore recovery platform.
This month marked the 550th launch of a vehicle in the Chang Zheng (CZ) rocket family when a CZ-6A lifted off from Taiyuan on Dec. 5. Another milestone launch for the same family of rockets was set on Dec 3 when the 100th CZ-3B carried a classified TJSW-13 satellite from Xichang. This was also the 60th launch from China this year.
Taikonaut during the nine-hour EVA on Dec 17. (Credit: CCTV/CMSA)
The Shenzhou-19 crew also recently conducted a successful spacewalk on Dec. 17 outside the Tiangong space station. Lasting 9 hours and six minutes, this extravehicular activity (EVA) set the record for the longest-duration EVA ever conducted in space. This EVA beat NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms’ previous record, set during STS-102 in 2001, which was ten minutes shorter. Coordinating with the station’s robotic arm and the ground crew, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong performed inspections and maintenance of external equipment, including the installation of space debris protection devices. This was Cai’s third EVA and Song’s first, with Song becoming the youngest taikonaut to conduct a spacewalk to date.
CZ-12 maiden launch
The latest rocket to join the CZ family, the CZ-12, took flight on Nov. 30 at 14:25 UTC. Launching from the new Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center commercial spaceport adjacent to the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, the launch also gave the spaceport its maiden launch since work had completed earlier this year after 878 days of construction.
The rocket took flight from the pad at Commercial Launch Complex 2 (LC-2), which has been designed to support at least ten new vehicles and to fill a market need for many emerging space companies in China that do not have their own launch facilities. Two test satellites were carried onboard to LEO, of which the Technology Test Satellite 03 was developed by the Fifth Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
CZ-12 on the Commercial LC-2 pad at Hainan Spaceport. (Credit: CCTV)
This demo mission also featured the first flight of the new YF-100K engines — an upgraded version of the long-established YF-100 engine which has been in service for eight years on the CZ-5, CZ-6, and CZ-7 rockets. The engine burns liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellants in an oxidizer-rich staged combustion cycle. Four of these engines power the first stage of the CZ-12 with a combined thrust of 5,000 kN. Seven of these same engines will also power the first stage of the forthcoming CZ-10, the super heavy-lift rocket expected to conduct crewed lunar missions by the end of the decade. The second stage uses two YF-115 engines with a combined thrust of 360 kN, also powered by liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen.
The 3.8 m diameter CZ-12 stands 62 m tall and was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. It flew with its 5.2-meter fairing on this inaugural mission and has an alternative 4.2-meter option. The vehicle is capable of carrying 10,000 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO) or 6,000 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 700 km. The rocket benefits from advances in new material development, which reduce mass while improving structural integrity, such as the aluminum-lithium alloy tanks.
An improved health diagnostics system controls a new hold-down and release system, the first application of this technology in China. Supporting horizontal transport to the pad, the “transport erector” also tilts away at ignition, as regularly seen on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launches. CZ-12 is also the first Chinese rocket to take advantage of the low density of helium at cold temperatures to employ liquid oxygen-compatible cold helium pressurization. While expendable for now, a reusable CZ-12R version has been proposed for future development.
CZ-12 lifted vertically on the transport erector. (Credit: DS Nanhai Tingfeng/China Aviation Photo Library)
Hainan spaceport
The Commercial LC-2 pad at the Hainan spaceport is China’s first “universal” liquid launch pad, able to adapt to most new vehicles from 3.35 to 5 m in diameter, and is said to support transport-to-launch operations within three days. The neighboring Commercial Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) pad is situated only 600 m away and remains dedicated to the CZ-8 medium-sized launcher, with a crane supporting vertical assembly at the pad.
The inaugural launch from Commercial LC-1 is currently anticipated to be the launch of a batch of Qianfan satellites for the G60 constellation next week on Dec. 23, following the completion of launch rehearsals in November. Meanwhile, the new CZ-8A variation of the CZ-8 is being transported to the site for its maiden launch from the same pad in January. The two pads are reported to bring the spaceport’s capacity to 32 launches per year — four times the number of missions that will have launched from the neighboring Wenchang Space Launch Site this year.
Hainan Satellite Super Factory under construction. (Credit: Wenchang International Aerospace City)
Construction is still underway at the Hainan spaceport, though it has shifted to the development of a mega factory, which will become Asia’s largest satellite manufacturing facility when it begins production next summer. Covering an area of around 60,000 square meters, the factory will minimize transportation costs with its location local to the Wenchang launch site. With the roof expected to be completed by the end of the month, the “aerospace city” has already attracted almost 1,000 companies across the Chinese space sector as it builds a hub for manufacturing, research, and development in addition to launch services.
Landspace’s ZhuQue-2E maiden launch
Landspace successfully launched its enhanced ZhuQue-2E (ZQ-2E) rocket on its maiden flight on Nov. 27, at 02:00 UTC from Site 96A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The two payloads onboard were a pair of Guangchuan satellites that will demonstrate and test laser links for communication between satellites in LEO. The payloads were deployed approximately eight and a half minutes into the mission, targeting a 300 by 500 km LEO inclined 50 degrees.
Utilizing liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants, the original ZhuQue-2 (ZQ-2) became the first methane-burning rocket to reach orbit two years ago in December 2022. Onboard the first ZQ-2E flight were a pair of Guangchuan satellites that will demonstrate and test laser links for communication between satellites in LEO, with the Guangchuan name translating to “light transmission.”
The 47.3 m tall ZQ-2E uses the same 3.35 m diameter first stage as the ZQ-2 with four Tianque 12 (TQ-12) engines and an upgraded second stage that adopts a common bulkhead and a change to the engine profile. This upgraded second stage now features one Tianque 15A (TQ-15A) vacuum-optimized engine in place of the TQ-12 and four Tianque 11 (TQ-11) vernier thrusters of the ZQ-2. The TQ-15A engine will also be used on the forthcoming ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) rocket and was reported to have reignited three times while in orbit on this mission, a capability that will widen the scope of missions for the ZhuQue rocket family. Another ZQ-2E launch is expected before the end of the year, potentially using the larger 4.2 m diameter fairing and, based on the mission patch, a payload of four satellites onboard.
ZhuQue-2E launches from Jiuquan on Nov 27. (Credit: Landspace)
Currently in early development, Landscape is targeting the end of the decade for its forthcoming ZQ-3 rocket, alluding to it being powered by SpaceX Raptor-like full-flow staged combustion cycle engines burning liquid methane and oxygen, with reusable first and second stages.
Other Chinese vehicles and developments
iSpace, also known as Interstellar Glory, has begun plans to work on a 10,000-tonne offshore recovery platform and intends to develop its own launch facilities in Hainan beyond Commercial LC-2, which it would initially share with other launch companies. The recovery platform is similarly planned to be used by other launch providers in addition to the company’s forthcoming Hyperbola-3 rocket. Featuring a three-core design variant, the vehicle may potentially launch AVIC’s Haolong-1 cargo spacecraft. With testing of a prototype due in the spring, an expendable first launch of the 42 m single-core variant is expected next year. Several missions would then follow in 2026, which will attempt to recover the first stages through vertical landings. The company is investing in a first-stage test stand in Hainan, and its new assembly and integration factory should begin producing vehicles next summer.
View inside the propellant tank of iSpace’s Hyperbola-3. (Credit: Beijing Interstellar Intelligent Manufacturing Technology)
Space Pioneer’s Tianlong 3 was the vehicle that was once expected to be the first to launch from Commercial LC-2 back in September. A disastrous static fire test of the first stage in June, however, sent the rocket into the air before crashing into a nearby mountainside, delaying the development of the rocket. The nine Tianhuo-12 (TH-12) engines can produce up to 8,000 kN of thrust and exceeded the limits of the hold-down mechanism of the stand, resulting in the rocket breaking free of the stand. Translating to “sky fire,” these engines burn liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellant.
Following the incident, Space Pioneer has been quiet, but activity was noticed at the company’s Gongyi site, and videos have been shared online of the vehicle’s transport erector launcher (TEL) following tests in July and final acceptance testing last month. Another TEL is suspected to be under construction for the company’s site at Jiuquan, — a site from which the vehicle is also intended to launch. Space Pioneer became the first Chinese private company to successfully launch a fully liquid-propelled rocket to orbit on the first attempt with its Tianlong-2 from this site in April 2023.
Kuaizhou-1A Pro launches Haishao-1 from Xichang SLC. (Credit: CCTV)
An upgraded Chinese Kuaizhou-1A flew from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in early December. Initially expected to be renamed the Kuaizhou-1B, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) has kept with the 1A name, and it is occasionally referred to as the “1A Pro.” The vehicle has a larger upper stage at 1.4 m diameter, which is now restartable. This, together with the wider 1.8m fairing, significantly increases the rocket’s payload capacity to LEO by another 50% to 450 kg, while deployments to SSO also increase by almost 40% to 360 kg.
Space Epoch static fired the first stage prototype of its stainless steel Yuanxingzhe 1 (XZY-1) reusable vehicle in early December. The company is awaiting regulatory approval to conduct a vertical take-off and vertical landing test of its XZH-2, or “Sea Walker II,” test hopper from the Hainan spaceport, including a sea splashdown and recovery. Designed by the private company Jianyuan Technology, the 65 m long XYZ-1 will intentionally splashdown in the sea, after which a tug will recover the vehicle and tow it back to port for refurbishment. The first stages are intended to be reused up to 20 times using this method. The rocket is propelled by liquid methane and liquid oxygen and is said to be capable of lofting a maximum of 6,500 kg to LEO. The company has announced ambitions to launch up to 25 times each year.
CZ-5B launches the first batch of 10 GuoWang satellites to polar orbit. (Credit: Xinhua)
Satellite constellations continue to expand
China has begun to launch another internet satellite mega constellation into LEO. With 54 satellites already in orbit for the Shanghai-based Qianfan (“Thousand Sails”) constellation, the first batch of satellites for the GuoWang (“National Network”) constellation took to the skies earlier this week. 10 satellites were launched into polar orbit atop the first CZ-5B to fly since Oct. 22, lifting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Dec. 16. This is the rocket that previously carried the Tianhe, Wentian, and Mentian modules to orbit during the construction of the Tiangong space station. The national-backed GuoWang satellites were originally expected to beat Qianfan to orbit, and, while the CZ-5B is anticipated to be the main carrier for these satellites, the Tianlong-3 is also expected to loft batches for the network in the future.
Both constellations have ambitions to build to around 13,000 each by the end of the decade. The number of launches required for this would be in excess of 700 per constellation, hence the increase in launch capacity, new vehicles, and satellite production across China. This month, China will exceed last year’s total of 65 successful launches but needs to more than double their current cadence to meet the expectations that these two networks bring.
A third constellation, likely named Honghu-3, is also planned with 10,000 satellites. It is designed by Shanghai Hongqing Technology, which is half-owned by Landspace. The Honghu and Qianfan satellites are being developed in the same industrial region, giving the G60 constellation its name. This “G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor” in the Yangtze River Delta region lies between the G60 Expressway and a high-speed railway route to and from Shanghai.
Recent Chinese launches
Chang Zheng 2C | SuperView Neo 2-03 & 04
The SuperView Neo 2-03 & 04 mission launched atop a CZ-2C from Site 9401 (SLS-2) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Nov. 24, at 23:34 UTC. As the mission name suggests, the payloads onboard were Siwei Gaojing-2 03 and Siwei Gaojing-2 04, otherwise known as SuperView Neo 2-03 and 2-04. These two remote sensing satellites are operated by China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology for a variety of imaging and surveying purposes.
Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-13 lifts off aboard the 100th launch of a Chang Zheng-3B (Credit: CCTV)
A three-stage CZ-3B/E launched the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-13 (TJSW-13) mission on Dec. 3, at 05:56 UTC from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The rocket followed a southeasterly trajectory and carried the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The payload onboard this mission was classified and said to be used to test communication technologies.
The Haishao-1 mission launched from a Mobile Launcher Pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Dec. 4 at 04:46 UTC. The rocket was the first of ExPace’s upgraded Kuaizhou 1A — a quick-reaction rocket with three solid-fuelled stages that now features a more powerful upper stage and wider fairings. Notably, the upper stage engine can now be restarted. The payload was the Haishao-1 remote sensing satellite, which uses X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that has been reported to have an accuracy of around one meter and a mass of 400 kg.
CZ-6A on the pad LC-9A at Taiyuan. (Credit: CCTV)
Chang Zheng 6A | G60 Polar Group 03
This mission saw the launch of the third batch of 18 Qianfan flat panel satellites into the G60 mega constellation in LEO Launch took place on Dec. 5 at 04:41 UTC from the Taiyuan launch center. CZ-6A vehicles have launched two previous batches of Qianfan satellites in August and October this year. Other vehicles, such as the CZ-8, are expected to carry satellites for this constellation in the future. Operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), it is planned that 108 of these communication satellites will be launched by the end of this year. 1,296 are planned to complete the first phase by 2027, with a goal to build the constellation to around 15,000 total satellites. A fourth batch is scheduled to launch on Dec. 23.
Chang Zheng 2D | High-Speed Laser Diamond Constellation
A CZ-2D with a Yuanzheng-3 upper stage lifted off from Site 9401 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gansu Province of China on Dec 12 at 07:17 UTC. Onboard were five satellites that will perform testing and verification of a new High-Speed Laser Diamond constellation in LEO for the University of Science and Technology, understood to take the form of flat panel-style satellites. This was the 93rd flight of this rocket, all of which have been successful.
Chang Zheng 2D/YZ-3 launches five test satellites for the High-Speed Diamond Laser Constellation from Jiuquan on Dec. 12. (Credit: CASC)
Chang Zheng 5B/YZ-2 | SatNet LEO Group 01
Using a Yuanzheng-2 (YZ-2) upper stage, a CZ-5B launched the first batch of 10 satellites for the long-anticipated GuoWang mega constellation on Dec. 16 at 10:00 UTC. As mentioned, this national-backed competitor to the G60 constellation also has ambitions to build in size to around 13,000 satellites.
Chang Zheng 2D | PIESAT-2 02-09
A CZ-2D lifted off on Dec. 18 at 18:55 UTC from Launch Complex 9 (LC-9) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province of China with the second batch of PIESAT-2 SAR satellites, the first of which were launched on a CZ-2C in early November. The CZ-2D debuted with wider 3.8 m diameter composite fairings for this mission.
The original four PIESAT-2 satellites were sent into an SSO and were the first of 16 planned for this constellation for ZhuZhou Space. This constellation uses X-band and is expected to be operational by mid-2025.
(Lead image: ZhuQue-2E launches the Guangchuan-1 & 02 mission from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Nov. 27. Credit: Landspace)
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