China targets 140 launches in 2026 amid commercial space surge
China’s commercial launch sector is targeting roughly 140 orbital missions in 2026, according to Yang Yiqiang, founder and chairperson of CAS Space. Yang made the projection at a provincial industry and policy forum in February, citing a Chinese‑language report from the 21st Century Business Herald. The figure would raise China’s annual launch cadence by about 52 percent from the 92 missions recorded in 2025, itself a 35 percent jump over the 68 launches carried out in 2024.
The anticipated surge builds on a launch environment that already spans about two dozen vehicle families operated by state‑owned enterprises and emerging private firms. CAS Space recently completed the maiden flight of its kerosene‑liquid‑oxygen Kinetica‑2 rocket on 30 March, delivering three spacecraft, including a prototype freighter, to orbit, and it plans roughly 13 launches in 2026 that will involve both the solid‑propellant Kinetica‑1 and additional Kinetica‑2 missions for constellation deployment. Expansion of launch infrastructure underpins the growth, with commercial zones added at Jiuquan, new pads on Hainan Island adjacent to the Wenchang spaceport, and a coastal maritime complex under development at Haiyang in Shandong province. Reusable launch initiatives are advancing across several startups—Landspace, iSpace, Space Pioneer and Galactic Energy—while the state‑run Long March series is also being upgraded with reusable variants. Policy statements from Yang call for at least 100 large liquid‑propellant rockets and 2,000 satellites per year, targets that align with the Guowang and Thousand Sails megaconstellation programs and the need to meet international filing deadlines.
In the broader market, the United States logged 193 orbital launch attempts in 2025, including 165 Falcon 9 flights that continue to dominate global activity, with Starlink remaining the single largest Falcon 9 customer. China’s intensified launch schedule reflects heightened government support, the recent designation of commercial space as a “pillar industry,” and the introduction of a “space+” concept that treats space capabilities as integral to the national economy. Capital inflows are fueling satellite manufacturing, optical‑communication subsystems and next‑generation launch vehicles such as Nebula‑1 and Tianlong‑3, both slated for debut flights soon. Municipal initiatives are also expanding the launch footprint: Ningbo has opened bidding for its first commercial aerospace industrial base, Xichang is planning a commercial extension of its inland spaceport, and a new coastal site is under consideration in Yangjiang, Guangdong, underscoring a coordinated push toward a dense network of Chinese spaceports.
