China’s 2025 Space Launch Record: A Peek Behind the Curtains

China’s space program in 2025 offers a clear picture of how the country now approaches access to orbit: methodically, at scale, and with long-term strategic intent. China has been steadily focused on operational consistency. The result is a launch cadence that now rivals many other national programs.

How many launches?

Publicly available tracking data indicates that China conducted approximately 90 orbital launches during 2025. This is second only to the United States, and far ahead from the other states that conducted launches in 2025.

While final tallies vary slightly depending on classification methodology, the overall conclusion is consistent across sources: China sustained a near-weekly launch cadence for an entire calendar year. That level of activity places it firmly among the most active spacefaring nations and reflects a system that has moved into sustained industrial execution.

What are the launches for?

It is important to know that China has two headline megaconstellation efforts, each planned for 10,000+ satellites: Guowang (national network) and the Shanghai-based Thousand Sails. These constellations are intended to provide broadband communications and strategic redundancy and are widely understood as national infrastructure projects rather than purely commercial ventures. A significant portion of China’s launches were done to support these large-scale satellite constellations; China conducted approximately 15 launches to Guowang deployments in 2025 alone.

Alongside its constellations, China continued its steady cadence of national security launches. Payloads associated with the Yaogan series and other classified missions were placed into orbit throughout the year. In December 2025, for example, a triple-launch sequence was executed and included a classified Yaogan payload and another classified spacecraft on a separate vehicle. This illustrates China’s integration of “military space” into its launch cadence and emphasized the scale and dual-use nature of its orbital activities. China now treats defense-related access to space as a continuous operational need.

Human spaceflight and station logistics also remained stable with China demonstrating its emergency capabilities. China had planned three missions to its Tiangong space station in 2025: the crewed Shenzhou 20 and Shenzhou 21 missions (launched in April and October, respectively) and the Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft (launched in July). However, in around early November during routine checks, and just before departure back to Earth to return the three astronauts, an external crack was found on the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft viewport window likely caused by space debris. The spacecraft was deemed not safe to carry the astronauts through the heat of reentry. This resulted in emergency protocols being initiated. The three astronauts returned to Earth safely in the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft which had arrived to Tiangong while the Shenzhou 22, which was already on emergency standby at the Jiuquan station, was readied in approximately 16 days and launched to Tiangong uncrewed. This was the first reported major human spaceflight emergency for China and it responded in an orderly manner.

Beyond Earth orbit, China continued to invest in scientific and exploratory missions. The launch of Tianwen-2 in May, China’s ambitious asteroid sample-return and comet-exploring mission, underscores Beijing’s intent to maintain a presence in deep space exploration alongside its more commercially oriented activities. Tianwen-2 is expected to arrive at a near-Earth asteroid classified ‘469219 Kamoʻoalewa’ in July 2026 and reenter Earth in late 2027.

One of the most consequential developments in 2025 was progress towards partial launch vehicle reusability. In December, LandSpace conducted what was widely described as China’s first, commercial full reusable rocket test profile (orbit plus attempted recovery) and is openly targeting booster recovery as a commercial milestone. Simultaneously, Space Pioneer is currently working on Tianlong-3, its own iteration of a reusable vehicle. China’s first state-owned reusable rocket designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Long March 12A, debuted in late December but recovery of the first stage of the rocket failed. If these efforts mature, they will place a downward pressure on launch costs and increase the competitiveness of Chinese providers in the global market.

Conclusion

China’s 2025 launch record ultimately reflects a space program that has moved into sustained execution. The year’s activity shows a system designed for continuity, where launch cadence, payload diversity, and operational reliability are treated as baseline expectations. Taken together, the data points to a mature ecosystem capable of supporting national security, commercial expansion, and long-term strategic objectives simultaneously.

Author Contact

Abdulla Abuwasel

Deputy Managing Partner

awasel@waselandwasel.com

Abdulla specializes in international arbitration across multiple industries and jurisdictions, representing high-net-worth investors, appearing before arbitral tribunals, lobbying U.S. Congress, and is one of the few expert consultants in the space industry.