A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Shijian-29A and Shijian-29B satellites blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 31, 2025. Launched at 6:40 a.m. (Beijing Time), the satellites have entered the preset orbit successfully. (Photo by Du Xinxin/Xinhua)

On December 31, the successful launch of the Long March-7A carrier rocket delivered the Shijian-29 satellite into orbit. With this mission, the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has completed a record of 73 space launch missions throughout 2025, the CASC said in a release.

Among these, the Long March series of carrier rockets conducted 69 launches, while the Jielong-3 carrier rocket completed four launches, sending more than 300 spacecraft - including rideshare payloads - into orbit. The number of launches and the quantity of payloads represent a substantial increase compared to the 51 launches and over 190 spacecraft in 2024. The average launch cycle was approximately once every five days, with both launch density and mission scale reaching new heights, per the CASC. 

Global Times