China Breaks Annual Space Launch Record With 72 Orbital Missions
China has surpassed its previous annual record for space launches, completing 72 orbital missions this year as of today, November 10, 2025 – with nearly two months remaining.
Four launches occurred over the weekend, including two utilizing the Long March rocket family operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. On Saturday, a Long March 11H carried three Shiyan-32 satellites into orbit, described in Chinese media as technology test platforms. Sunday saw a Long March 12 deploy broadband satellites for the SatNet constellation, a planned network aiming for 13,000 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The weekend’s activity also included launches by private Chinese companies, CAS Space with its Kinetica-1 rocket successfully delivering two Earth-observing satellites, and Galactic Energy’s Ceres-1, which unfortunately experienced an anomaly resulting in the loss of its three payloads. This rapid increase in launch cadence signals China’s growing ambition and capability in the space sector, potentially impacting the global space economy. For more on the growing commercial space sector, see the Space Foundation.
Despite this achievement, the United States remains the global leader in launches for 2025, having conducted over 150 orbital missions, largely driven by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has flown 143 times this year, primarily deploying Starlink satellites. You can find more information about SpaceX launches on the SpaceX website. Officials have not yet commented on plans for the remainder of the year, but further launches are anticipated.
